Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth Aiba Takumi, Detective of Fate
by Denthasus
Summary: A novelization of Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth. During his first trip into the virtual cyberspace EDEN, Aiba Takumi encounters danger in the form of hacking and strange creatures. In the midst of helping his friends escape, he winds up in an accident that somehow leads him to the Kuremi Detective Agency, office of the ever mysterious cyber detective Kuremi Kyoko.
1. EDEN

**Author's Notes:** So instead of working on The Answer for Persona 3 FES, I ended up getting distracted by other video games... First it was Devil Survivor, then Shin Megami Tensei IV, and then Devil Survivor Overclocked because not having a Compendium is difficult... That's... kinda the problem I have with Answer right now... That and I don't know how to deal with one problematic plot point... But anyway, here's Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth! It's another game I like, but dislike the ending. It's not the same as me disliking out P3 ended though... While P3 ended on a bittersweet note, it made sense. Cyber Sleuth's ending kinda felt like a cop-out for me since I kinda think it went against one of the game's main themes. Also... because there is no script for this game, I pretty much typed up the dialogue word for word while playing... I decided to do it this way as a test for how I want to work on Persona Q... but uh... yeah... this sure was an experience. Expect daily updates!

* * *

After accessing his usual chat site, Takumi quickly logged into his account. The monitor went blank for a while before a yellow logo greeted him with a cheerful voice. "Enjoy Chat!" He quickly tapped on the screen to access the server. "Welcome," the voice continued, "To Enjoy Chat!" A carousel of icons appeared before him. "Select a chat room."

Takumi maneuvered his cursor over a few icons before he spotted the private chat room he usually accessed. "Ah! There's Blue Box's icon!"

With a click, the voice made itself known again. "Please enter the password!"

After a few hesitant strokes on the keyboard, the high school student quickly typed in the rest of the long string of characters Blue Box set as this week's password. The light blue loading bar gradually filled as it verified the code and soon, the lock on the corner of the chat room's icon undid itself with a click.

"Welcome!" the Enjoy Chat voice told him as Takumi was finally let into the chat room.

Takumi blinked as a slew of messages from the other visitors scrolled past him. He quickly skimmed through them, trying to get a grasp of the current happenings between all of his online friends. As usual, it was just a slew of random conversations, but Takumi took it all in before he saw two avatars chatting.

 _Hattie: You watch TV yesterday?_

 _yuki: I did! It was awesome!_

The teenager ignored them though as he dove further into the chat room where the rest of his online friends were gathered. He brightened as he found a spot for his avatar in their circle. Everyone seemed hyped up for some reason and Takumi quickly did his best to catch up on the conversation.

 _Dark Night Satan: What? What is it?_

 _Akkino: Hey guys! Ever heard of Digimon?_

 _Blue Box: What's this all of a sudden?_

 _Old Man Fanta: You're talking about Digimon programs, right? Those dangerous programs used by hackers._

"Digimon…?" Curious, Takumi asked a question of his own.

 _AI-BA: Dangerous? How dangerous, exactly?_

 _Old Man Fanta: They can break through security, steal data… enter password-protected forums with ease…_

 _Old Man Fanta: Those programs can do all kinds of nasty things! They're behind most of the incidents that have been happening._

 _Akkino: Wow, Digimon sound nuts!_

 _AlgerN0N: My friend got his account targeted by them. (;_))_

 _Love Crusher: No way…_

 _U Starving: When did this happen?_

 _Dark Night Satan: In some areas, Digimon roam around on their own…_

 _Akkino: Wait a minute, Digimon can move!?_

 _Old Man Fanta: It sounds like these programs have avatars. Kinda like monsters._

 _AlgerN0N: Digimon… like "Digital Monsters"?_

 _Akkino: Exactly!_

 _U Starving: When did this happen, exactly?_

Takumi blinked when a notification popped up with a chime. "Eh…? ' _Navit-kun_ has logged in?' I've never seen that name here before…"

To his surprise, a saw popped up in the middle of the chat room floor and began cutting out a circle. A sleek robotic figure came out of the resultant hole and its LCD face display read "EDEN" before a pinkish purple smiley face replaced it. To everyone's surprise, it began to chat with them.

 _Navit-kun: Yoooo, what's up, people!_

 _AlgerN0N: Whaaat, it's Navit-kun!_

 _Love Crusher: Huh? You mean that EDEN mascot?_

 _Akkino: Sorry man, no solicitations! Haha!_

 _Old Man Fanta: What the heck? Why would an EDEN official come all the way out here?_

 _Blue Box: …This was a private room, y'know? Just who are you?_

 _U Starving: And what's with that greeting? Hardly suiting an official…_

 _Akkino: Wait a minute… is he a hacker!?_

 _Love Crusher: Speak of the devil…_

 _AlgerN0N: For real!?_

 _Navit-kun: That's right! I'm_ Navit-kun, the hacker!

 _Navit-kun: I have a_ fantastic present _for all of you! Be sure to log in to_ EDEN _tomorrow!_

 _Navit-kun: Don't forget, now! If you don't login,_ I'll hack you!

 _Navit-kun: Buh-bye, now!_

With that, the mysterious Navit-kun left the chat room the same way he entered. Takumi blinked at the screen as another chime and notification revealed to him that Navit-kun logged out. Everyone else in the chat room remained silent for a moment as they all took in what just happened.

 _Old Man Fanta: What the heck… Was that an actual hacker?_

 _Akkino: No way, dude!_

 _Love Crusher: Think someone's playing a prank on us?_

 _Akkino: Sounds fun, don't it? Let's check it out!_

Nobody responded for a while. Takumi lightly drummed his fingers on his keyboard as he figured out how he wanted to respond. "Eh…? It seems interesting…"

 _Akkino: What, don't tell me y'all are chicken?_

 _Blue Box: You want to go, Akkino? What'll you do if it's a real hacker?_

 _Akkino: This is just PR for an EDEN event, ain't it? A REAL hacker would be cooler, though…_

 _Blue Box: …Sounds like I can't stop you. Fine, then I'll come with._

 _Akkino: What, is this a date now? You asking me out all of a sudden!?_

 _Blue Box: …Anyway._

 _Akkino: Anyone else gonna come with us?_

 _Old Man Fanta: Better safe than sorry. I'm out._

 _AlgerN0N: I'll pass!_

 _Love Crusher: Me, too._

Takumi watched the other avatars scatter. He smiled though as he finally came up with his decision. He made his puppet-like avatar jump before replying.

 _AI-BA: I'm in!_

And so the chatting continued for the three of them, although Takumi didn't comment much. He much preferred just listening while giving his opinion every now and then. Still, Akkino and Blue Box went on with their late-night gab fest. As always, topics were loose, with no real focus.

Eventually, dawn broke outside their windows. That was the day they were finally going to meet in EDEN. They spent the day much as they did the day before. And then, the appointed time drew near.

* * *

The ones and zeroes lined up in a non-descript pattern before breaking apart. The EDEN logo appeared before Takumi as he waited for the access point to fully activate. He blankly stared at the company name at the bottom of the logo as he did so.

"EDEN… by Kamishiro Enterprise," he thought aloud to kill the time. "An apple logo… Ah…? Like Adam and Eve? Kami is God, isn't it? I never realized that connection until now…" He smiled to himself as he further considered this line of thought, but suddenly the logo disappeared. "Ah… Time to go."

Takumi held up his hands and watched as the access point seemed to suck him into EDEN. He watched as the world around him turned white and soon it felt was as though he were zooming through the air. A great white sphere floated before him and he guessed that his destination was there. He stared at it in awe as he took in the wonders around him.

"So this is EDEN!" He brightly smiled at the sensation of flying through the digital landscape. "I never really had a reason to log on before, but this is amazing!"

As it was his first visit, an introductory AI began speaking to him via his goggle-style Digivice. "Welcome to the digital garden of EDEN! EDEN is a metaverse providing several revolutionary services in a new generation of digital content. Bountiful entertainment, including shopping and movies… Everything from corporate transactions to political administrations… Everyone's needs are met. I will be more than happy to introduce some of the available services that will be a part of your daily life."

"Eh…? Daily life? So some people log on every single day, huh? That's pretty impressive…" Takumi mused as he continued skimming through the world.

"The future of the net is not behind a screen. It is intuitive virtual reality through the use of avatars. I do hope you enjoy using our cutting-edge cyberspace services."

The curious boy waved his right arm a few times. "This really does feel like my actual body… That's pretty cool…"

"EDEN is a human network connecting the world to the future, run by Kamishiro Enterprise," the AI concluded as he landed on what felt like solid ground.

"And touchdown!" he smiled, his bright blue eyes gleaming in excitement. He reached a hand up to his goggles and cut the introductory transmission before it could offer him anymore help on the workings of EDEN. "Well… I'll get a better feel for EDEN by experiencing it myself. Now… Let's see…" He took a good look at his surroundings. "The entrance to EDEN. This is where we promised to meet." Takumi tapped his goggles to have a display of the time appear before him. "I'm here a little earlier than we'd agreed on. I'm guessing Akkino and Blue Box still aren't here." He glanced around him again and didn't see anyone who could be his chat friends. "This'll be the first time I've met them outside a chat room." He closed his eyes and sighed as he considered something. "I don't know what their avatars look like, though." He opened his blue eyes again and smiled. "But I should be able to figure it out! I'll try making small talk with the EDEN avatars in the area!" With a nod to himself, he quickly set off in search of his online friends.

Takumi spotted a man wearing an orange hooded vest and blinked as he seemed out of place. The man stared back at the red-haired boy but said nothing.

After a few more seconds of staring, Takumi decided to walk past him with a shrug. _He's a bit suspicious, but I guess he's not doing anything wrong…_

The teen asked around if anyone had seen or knew anyone by the handles "Akkino" or "Blue Box" but didn't discover anything. He did pick up a few interesting rumors about EDEN though, although how monsters and ghosts worked in a cyber world eluded him. Eventually, Takumi let out a sigh as he stood in front of the entrance pavilion.

"They aren't here after all…" He crossed his arms and looked out over the entrance from his high vantage point.

Nearby, a boy wearing the uniform from his high school noticed him. "Looking for your friends?" he asked.

"Yeah, I am," Takumi nodded.

"If they're not here, did you try looking in the community area?"

"Community area?"

"It's an open area just like the entrance, so you can get there from any terminal." The boy pointed at the round access point Takumi had noticed earlier when he landed.

"Oh, I see…" Takumi nodded. "Alright, thanks." He started down the stairs again and laughed at himself. "I guess I showed up too early after all." He tapped his goggles again. "There's still time left before our meeting!" he told himself. "Let's check out those other areas then!"

* * *

"This is the Community Area," Takumi said to himself as he landed. He curiously looked around and noticed the atmosphere here was much different from EDEN's entrance. "I like this place. It's quiet and relaxed." He flinched when the calm tranquility was sharply interrupted by his Digivice's Talk feature. "Who could it be?" He accepted the call only to see Navit-kun appear on the digital screen. "Huh!?"

"Hey there! It's me, Navit-kun!" The robotic figure happily jumped up and down as he reintroduced himself. After a while, it flashed Takumi an annoyed frown. "Just one sec~ You're behind schedule, silly! You're gonna be late! Hurry up! Come to Galacta Park in Cron!" Navit-kun began smiling again. "Your two friends arrived a little while ago and are waiting for you! I have a gift for you all, but everyone has to be there first! Buh-bye!"

Takumi frowned to himself when the call was abruptly cut. "Cron?" His eyes widened as he recognized the name of the area. "Isn't that the dangerous area full of hackers? Even I've heard the rumors of that area…" He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Okay, calm down. No need to panic." He opened his eyes and smirked. "I wonder what he meant by a 'gift'? Anyway, let's go to Galacta Park in Cron!" He started for the terminal but paused when he realized he had a slight problem. "I've never even been to EDEN before, let alone anywhere near Cron. How do I get there?" He scanned his surroundings again and noticed people scattered here and there. "There might be someone here who knows though. I'd better ask around!"

The teen frowned as he wasn't really getting the information he needed, but he pressed onward anyways. Everybody seemed too focused on their own enjoyment of EDEN but it was abundantly clear that the vast majority of users tend to avoid the deep underbellies of it. This only fueled Takumi's curiosity over whether Cron was truly deserving of such a reputation. Eventually he found someone who seemed to know something so walked up to the businessman standing near the scale replica of EDEN.

"Excuse me? Can I ask you something?" Takumi tapped him on the shoulder.

"Kinda busy here?" the man glared at him.

"Sorry, but it's my first time in EDEN and I wanted to know how to get to Cron," Takumi politely smiled.

The man's eyes widened. "What? You want to go to Cron!? But why!? It's lawless, and filled with hackers, besides!"

"So I hear, but…"

"If that's what you're into, we're done here," the man shook his head. "Go talk to a hacker if you want to know about it. There's a hacker-looking thug near the entrance."

"Hacker…?" Takumi blinked as he remembered the suspicious hooded man from before. "Oh! I see! Alright! Thanks, mister!"

The man sighed as Takumi started for the terminal. "Don't blame me for your foolish decision. Grow up and take responsibility for yourself."

"It can't be that bad," the teen shrugged as he returned to EDEN's entrance. He looked around for the hooded man and approached him without reservation. "Excuse me!"

The man frowned as he lifted his head to look at Takumi. The high school student stared at him with curious blue eyes before the hacker smirked at him. "Heh… 'I want to go. To Galacta Park, in Cron.' That's what you think you want. Isn't it?"

"That's right!" Takumi nodded with a smile.

"I'll show you the way." The hacker took out his cell phone model Digivice and sent a link to the curious teen. "This is the URL. To the area. Take it."

"Alright! Thanks!" Takumi verified the link and hurried towards the terminal. "Now I can go to Cron!"

The hacker crossed his arms and smirked at the younger male's excitability. _Heh… Another hacker is to be born, huh?_

* * *

Takumi couldn't help but let out a yell as he glided through cyberspace. He watched layer by layer of EDEN pass him as he dove further into the world. He soon noticed though, that the deeper he went, the darker EDEN seemed to get. "Huh… I suppose it is sketchy-looking… but it still can't be _that_ bad…" He felt his body begin to slow down as he neared his destination and he spotted a hooded black-haired boy. "Huh? Could that be…?" The taller boy on the ground looked up at him with a scowl on his face. "Blue Box?" Takumi guessed, but he couldn't confirm it as he continued past him.

The boy wearing the hooded coat raised an eyebrow as he studied Takumi. "AI-BA, huh? So he's finally here…" He shook his head as he returned to the park. "Well… I'd better give up my ghost hunt…"

Takumi continued his examination of his surroundings as he prepared to land and spotted the decrepit park as well as someone already there. "Ah…! This must be Akkino then!"

Although it had been her idea to check it out in the first place, the girl wearing the pink hooded jacket seemed rather lost and clearly out of place. She glanced around herself nervously, unsettled by the thought of being alone in such a seedy area. "Where did everybody go?" she whined before a moving dark grey and yellow mass caught her eye. She brightened when she spotted Takumi coming in for a landing. The girl puffed up her cheeks in annoyance as soon as he was close enough. "You have gotta be kidding!" she called out to him. "You're late! Soooo late!"

Takumi only gave her a bright smile as he placed his hands at the side of his hips. "Sorry I'm late! I'm Aiba Takumi, but call me Takumi. Would you happen to be Akkino, by any chance?"

The girl smiled back and nodded. "Oh, hey! Yep, I'm Akkino! This is your first time in EDEN, right? My real name's Shiramine Nokia! Nice. To. Meet. You!" Takumi flinched when Nokia suddenly blew up at him. "NOOOOT! You're late! What were you doing!? Leaving me alone in such a dangerous place. How would you feel if you were in my shoes?"

The red-haired boy let out a nervous laugh. "I guess it is dangerous for a girl like you to be out here alone…" Takumi curiously looked around. "But what about Blue Box?"

Nokia paused. "You're asking if Blue Box has shown up yet? Oh, he showed up all right. But what does that even matter?" She crossed her arms and pouted. "Like, can you believe this? He's all, 'Oh, I've got to go and find a ghost,' and all of a sudden he's running off by himself. That's how he rolls, apparently! One hundred percent full of himself! Thinks he's all that just because he's got good looks or whatever. And so like, what? The Ghost of the Pale Boy? I've heard the rumors but don't know the details. What does he even plan to do if he finds it? I mean, ghosts in cyberspace? That's unscientific! It doesn't even make any sense! Not that I'm scared or noth—

The boy with black hair from earlier suddenly appeared behind her. "Boo!" Nokia let out a terrified shriek and hurried to Takumi's side. "Whoa, easy," the older boy smirked at her. "Overreacting a bit there, aren't we?"

"Oh, jeez, Arata-chan," Nokia frowned. "It's just you. I… I thought you were a ghost."

Arata rolled his eyes at her. "Sheesh. You don't have to act all tough by coming to a place like this if you're chicken, you know."

"Hey now! You're the one who ditched me in that 'place like this', Arata, you slimy little no-good—"

"Oh, just shut your trap. Anyhow…" The raven-haired boy looked over towards Takumi. "We've never met before, have we? I'm Sanada Arata. Nice to meet you and all that."

"Likewise," Takumi cheerfully smiled. "I'm Aiba Takumi!"

"Hey now, that's no proper introduction!" Nokia shook her head. She waved her hand towards Arata as she spoke to Takumi. "You must've put two and two together by now, but this is the person behind Blue Box! He's not what you imagined, is he? In the chat, he's kind and considerate, like a reliable big-brother figure, right? When I first met him, I was really weirded out! He's surly, self-absorbed, got this weird look in his eye… I mean, talk about a waste of good looks, right?"

"H-huh…?" the red-haired boy crookedly smiled as he didn't know how to answer her.

Arata shook his head. "Leave the stupidity for later, okay?" He looked around the area pensively. "So, while I was waiting, I took a little look around. I thought that 'Navit-kun' fellow who called us here might be around."

"What!?" Nokia seemed surprised at that. "I thought you were looking for a ghost!"

"Well, I was doing a little of that too," the older boy shrugged. "But in the end, I found neither. Rather, there wasn't anyone around to be found. You'd think there'd be one or two hackers in an area like Cron, no matter how dangerous it is."

"So the rumors are true then…" Takumi wistfully breathed. He flinched when his Digivice rang again, but even though he didn't pick up, the phone function activated itself.

"So very sorry to keep you waiting. I'm Navit-kun!" the cheery robot returned. "I've got something for all you good boys and girls who showed up here today! This is the miraculous power to change the world!"

Takumi felt a shiver run down his spine as his avatar began to flicker with static. "Eh!?"

"Huh? What?" Nokia stared down at her own avatar. "What is this?"

Arata scowled. "It's hacking! We've all been hacked!"

Takumi quickly took a quick look at his account settings. He became confused when he didn't really notice anything out of place, but he soon paused when he found a new program listed in his Digivice menu. "This looks like it's been forcefully installed… Digimon Capture?"

"Whoa. This Navit fellow is no slouch," Arata said, a bit impressed. "He broke through my firewall like it was nothing."

"Digimon… Capture?" Nokia frowned at the program that was now on her phone-like Digivice.

"It's a hacking tool that's been making the rounds with hackers lately," Arata explained.

"Wait, so when you say 'Digimon', you mean like, 'Digimon' Digimon!?" Nokia asked.

"Yes, those Digimon. The ones you're so interested in," Arata sighed as he pulled up a few digital displays and began checking out the program for himself. "Hmmm… There's a certain kind of data known as 'Digital Monsters' that you can 'capture' by scanning, this thing says. Ah, so 'Digimon' IS short for 'Digital Monster'."

"What?" Nokia didn't seem to believe it at all. "Whoa, hey, hang on! Digimon are like nasty programs that hackers use, right? So then…!? That means…" She shook her head. "Have we become hackers!?"

"Well, I suppose you could put it that way," Arata shrugged, seemingly unfazed by the whole ordeal. "Well, it's no big deal. Hackers are nothing out of the ordinary nowadays."

Takumi closed his eyes as he took in the situation. "I suppose…"

"No way! Nuh-uh!" Nokia frowned. "Hacker's are bad news! I am NOT doing this! I don't want any part of this!" She pressed a few buttons on her phone. "I'm gonna delete this program!" She tapped the screen a few times but blinked in confusion. "Ah, what? No way, you've gotta be kidding me! I can't uninstall this thing!?"

"Leave it be," Arata warned her. "The program's protected. Who knows what'll happen if you force-delete it."

"W-what do you mean?" Nokia asked in panic.

Takumi opened his eyes and shook his head. "It's alright. I mean, just because you have the program, it doesn't mean you have to use it. Still… I think it's worth—" he paused as something caught his eye. He looked over towards the path leading deeper into Cron and noticed someone running away. "H-hey!" Nokia and Arata turned towards where he was looking at. "So that was Navit-kun? Or could that be the ghost everyone's talking about?" _No wait… Both those things don't really have solid footsteps… A hacker then?_

Before Takumi could voice the rest of his thoughts, Arata immediately took off after whatever it was. "Don't let him get away!"

"Arata, hold up!" Nokia tried to reach out for his jacket but just missed. "Why are we chasing him?" She turned towards Takumi and shook her head. "I… I'm out of here! I'm going home, you hear!?"

"That's alright," Takumi shrugged. The two turned towards the path leading towards the terminal point but they saw something that made Takumi pause while Nokia froze up. "Huh… A firewall?" He frowned as he looked back towards where Arata disappeared to. _So it_ was _a hacker…_

"W-what is this?" Nokia frowned. "It wasn't here before. What's it doing here? Did some hacker do this too?" She nervously looked behind them at the path Arata took. "Is… is this telling us to keep going onward? Are they not letting us go home?"

Takumi brought a hand up to his mouth as he considered his options. "Arata could be in trouble. Let's go after him!" He took a few steps forward but noticed Nokia wasn't following him. "We might find an exit there too. Let's go look."

"No," Nokia shook her head and took a few steps backward. "I'm not going. I won't."

Takumi frowned as she was clearly shaking like a leaf. He sighed as there was no helping it if she was too scared to proceed. Still, it wasn't as though he could just leave her here. "Alright, then I'm going on ahead. If I find a way out, I'll come back, okay?" Nokia responded with a nod and Takumi made his way deeper into Cron.

* * *

Takumi stopped walking after a while and frowned when he realized Cron was more expansive than he thought. "Does the Cron area stretch all the way back through here?" he asked himself as he stared at the path before him. "It feels totally different from the cyberspace areas on the upper part of the EDEN Network." He brought a hand up to his mouth as he scanned for any sign of his friend. "There's no trace of Arata. He may have gone further inside." He sighed before starting off again. "I should be careful," he told himself.

The further he went, the more uneasy he felt. Takumi slowed his pace when he spotted a wispy glow ahead of him. He blinked a few times to make sure it wasn't a trick of his imagination or a glitch in the network, but soon, he was sure that what he saw in front of him was a ghostly boy. Still, it was only just for a few seconds before the figure vanished completely.

"What was that!?" Takumi nervously frowned. "Was that really…?" He paused as he sensed something further down the path on his right. He quickly turned to face whatever it was. "Urgh!" Takumi winced as his avatar flickered again.

Although it should have been impossible with this cyber body, Takumi was forced to get down to his knee when searing pain spread throughout his being. He closed his eyes to catch his breath and when he opened them again, he looked up to see the figure ahead of him once more.

He kept his blue eyes forward despite his vision being blurry. _No… It's more glitchy than blurry_ , Takumi frowned. "Just what's going on…? This can't be normal…" He took in deep ragged breaths as the ghost boy disappeared again.

A moment later, he reappeared directly in front of Takumi. The red-haired boy lifted his head and took in as many details as he could before the specter could fade away again. Despite the flickering, Takumi managed to discern the other boy's black hair and dark eyes. His expression was that of a rather blank pout and Takumi winced when his vision glitched even further, forcing him to close his eyes.

The red-haired boy collapsed backwards under the strain but he forced himself to recover. Opening his eyes again, the boy was now standing above him, staring into his bright blue eyes. A hand came up and Takumi did nothing as the boy reached out for him. He couldn't have moved even if he had wanted to so he closed his eyes as he sensed something being loaded into his Digivice. _No…_ he momentarily paused to think it over. _This is just like when Navit-kun hacked us… Something's being loaded into… me…?_

Takumi frowned as a message popped up on his Digivice. " _Kioku no Danpen_ has been inscribed."

After a while, the flickering and glitching stopped. Takumi slowly rose to his feet and looked around. "What was that?" He closed his eyes to think before shaking his head. "Cron's as dangerous as they say. Who knows what might happen here?" He sighed. "I'd better hurry up, find Arata, and get out of here." He opened his eyes to look at the path ahead of him once more, but he tensed up when he saw someone approaching him. "Is that…!?"

A boy with grayish white hair paused before Takumi and studied him with his light grey eyes. "What's wrong?" he spoke in a soft voice. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Well, yeah…!" Takumi frowned at the strange boy. "I just saw a ghost that looked like you!"

The other boy tilted his head to the side. "You saw a ghost… that looks like me?" Takumi nodded in response, prompting the light-haired boy to bring a hand up to his mouth. "If that's true, that ghost might have been me. Some call me the 'Wraith of EDEN'. They say I am not of this world."

"Really…?" Takumi took a moment to examine the boy. _No… I don't think so… This person and that ghost… I'm pretty sure they're not the same. Similar, yes… but… there's something different between them… I just can't put my finger on it though…_

"The truth is simply that I'm rather elusive and tend to turn up unexpectedly. That's all," the boy shrugged. He noticed Takumi still had a wary expression on his face so put on a small smile. "Please, relax. I'm not a ghost. I am very real here in EDEN."

Takumi kept his gaze level with the strange boy's. "So why are you here?"

"I exist to guide those who are lost, like you."

"Okay…"

The boy realized he would have to be more direct with the blue-eyed boy. "You've just had a program installed, Digimon Capture, which marks you as a hacker. But you are still merely a fledgling."

"Eh!?" Takumi's eyes widened in surprise. _How did he know that?_ "What of it?"

"There are hackers with a wide variety of different goals here in EDEN," the boy continued to explain. "Chivalrous ones who find and report security holes. Thieves who steal accounts to rob money and data. Others are just out to prove their skills. Truly, a wide variety." The boy seriously gazed into Takumi's blue eyes. "What kind of hacker do you want to be?"

Takumi closed his eyes to ponder the question before shaking his head and frowning at the weird boy. "How am I supposed to answer that when I have no idea how hacking works?"

The boy hid his amused smile behind his hand as he considered what to do with the new hacker. "You are indeed a fledgling if that is your only response. Not even hatched from your egg yet. You're free to become a hacker, if you want. Or something else altogether. It's up to you," he decided. "What led you to this is neither here nor there. You came here because you were interested in hacking, and now, because of that, you've got the 'Digimon Capture' program. Isn't that right?" Takumi curtly nodded. "I would therefore recommend you give the remarkable power of these 'Digimon' programs a try."

The red-haired boy closed his eyes again. "Digimon…?" It didn't take him long before he opened his eyes and flashed the boy a smile. "Alright then. I've been meaning to check out the program on my own later, but if you're here to teach me…"

"That's fine," the boy smiled back. "Now, to commemorate your birth as a fellow hacker-to-be…" He lifted his head. "I shall present you with your first Digimon. There, behind you," he pointed towards the area behind Takumi. "That is a Digimon program."

"Really?" Takumi quickly turned to see three strange creatures climb out of the strange blocks decorating Cron. "Ah…!"

"There are three different type of Digimon here," the boy nodded to him, "but you can take only one. Which will you choose?"

"Only one?" the blue-eyed teen sighed. "That's a bit disappointing…" He noticed his Digivice was already booting up the Digimon Capture program and it identified the three Digimon before him. Takumi took the time to fully study the three Digimon before deciding. "The excessively adorable animal type… The possibly fragrant plant type… The mechanical-looking machine type…" Takumi crossed his arms and frowned to himself. "Argh… Such a difficult decision!" he said with his eyes closed.

The boy shook his head at him as he watched the new hacker ponder his choice with such a serious expression. "You seem to be unable to make up your mind," he said in amusement.

"They're all so cute and cool…" Takumi sighed, opening his eyes.

"Well, I suppose I might as well teach you how to use the program then," the boy shook his head. He chuckled a bit. "Perhaps if you're skilled enough, you can attempt to capture them all..."

"Can I really!?" the red-haired boy eagerly asked.

"If you can…" the other boy shrugged. "Okay, let's bring you out of your shell. Several steps are required to obtain a Digimon. If you discover or encounter a Digimon program, run a scan, and then acquire the analyzed data. Those are all done with Digimon Capture. You can use that without any restrictions. But just because you got the analyzed data doesn't mean the Digimon program itself is yours."

Takumi crossed his arms and nodded. "Alright… So what do I do with that data?"

The boy's smile grew as it seemed this new fledgling was quick to learn. "First you must 'Convert' it. You must launch the Digimon program and implement it in cyberspace, first and foremost. Only then can it serve as a Digital Monster, a hacking program that is not to be trifled with."

"Seems simple enough…" The blue-eyed boy looked towards the three Digimon. "But… there's more, isn't there?"

The light-haired boy nodded his head. "Unlike Scan, Convert is not part of the Digimon Capture application. We hackers finally devised the technique needed, but certain rules were put in place regarding how it's used." His voice dropped into a stern warning, "In order to control how this power is exercised. Your chosen Digimon program will be weak, but it will grow in power and evolve," the boy continued. "As you gain experience as a hacker, your programs will become more powerful as well. Someday, immense power might be yours. When that day comes, responsibility will come along with it."

"Responsibility…?" Takumi curiously stared at the other boy.

"Hackers may be free spirits, but they must never succumb to chaos. Never that," he gravely shook his head.

"I see…" the hacker-to-be frowned as he tried to let it all sink in. _He takes this all so seriously… I wonder why a person like him is a hacker…_

"I'm sure most of this went over your head," the boy shrugged. "But tuck it away in a corner of your mind. Besides, merely having Digimon Capture gives you hacker status." He looked back at the three Digimon. "It's a special program, but…" he stood tall as he looked Takumi in the eyes. "A hacker's abilities, values and goals can all be seen in how well that hacker can use Digimon programs. Because protecting the order of EDEN is a hacker's first duty." He relaxed a bit and hid his smirk behind his hand. "I would be very happy if you would try to become that kind of hacker." Takumi placed his hands at his hips and tilted his head to the side, but the other boy didn't notice him staring. "After all, hackers have been with EDEN since its inception."

"Eh!?" Takumi's eyes widened at that. _I never knew that!_ He paused though as he remembered he didn't even pick a Digimon yet. He looked back towards the three adorable critters jumping and playing with each other. _Aw… How can I pick just one…?_ He shook his head and focused. "W-well, anyways… I can still have a Digimon, right?"

"You want the Digimon right now?" the other boy raised an eyebrow at the red-haired boy. Takumi smiled back and noticed how relief seemed to fill the boy's light grey eyes. "I see. You heard what I had to say and decided you wanted to become a proud hacker too." He nodded in approval. "Excellent."

Takumi inwardly chuckled to himself. _Yeah… He's not a bad guy._

The other boy returned his attention to the waiting Digimon. "Well, then, follow the steps," he directed Takumi. "Start with a Scan. Have Digimon Capture running and target a—" he stopped speaking when a roar cut through the air.

"Huh!?" Takumi turned his head towards the direction where the sound came from.

A large creature with multiple thin tentacles coming out of it jumped out, startling the smaller three Digimon. They all ran off into the other area as the large Digimon chased after them. Takumi felt the need to go after them, so looked over to his guide. The other boy didn't seem too bothered by the situation though as he continued to stare at the path leading deeper into Cron.

"The Digimon I prepared for you went and ran away," he simply frowned. "Well," he shrugged it off, "there are plenty of other Digimon. We'll just find another… Wait just a moment." He paused for a moment and brought a hand up to his face. "That did surprise me, though, for a Digimon as tough as that one to appear in this area. It could have been released as a bad joke by a low-level hacker, or as an attack on me by someone."

"Never mind that!" Takumi cried. "I need to go after that Digimon!"

The boy frowned at him. "You want a powerful Digimon like that?" He sternly shook his head. "No. You can't handle it. Forget about it."

"That's not it! Those three Digimon! I have to help them!"

"You're… concerned about the Digimon being chased?" the boy stared at the redhead oddly, but Takumi adamantly nodded his head. "You're a curious one. Still, that's all the more reason to leave it be. You'd look foolish if you got hurt interfering in a fight between mere programs."

Takumi closed his eyes as he considered what he should do. He shook his head though as he already knew what it was he wanted. "I have to go help!"

The other boy took a moment to consider Takumi's decision but decided to go along with it just this once. "If that's what you want, then you should do it. Chase after it, if that's your decision."

The blue-eyed boy nodded quickly set off after the group of small Digimon.

* * *

It didn't take long before Takumi spotted the three Digimon tightly huddled together. They were cornered by the larger purple Digimon and without thinking, the boy jumped in front of them to protect them. "You guys!"

"Oh, boy," a voice sighed. "You really ARE new at this. Do you intend to face off against a Digital Monster unarmed?"

Takumi looked over towards the direction the voice came from and noticed the light-haired boy had been silently following him. "You…!"

"You truly are curious," he stared at the redhead. "No… You're just a soft touch." He nodded as he found a suitable description for the blue-eyed boy. "That's it." He hid a smirk behind his hand. "What a coincidence. I am both those things as well. Just this once, allow me to aid you." He shook his head at Takumi. "You needn't do anything for the moment. Watch and learn. This is how a real hacker uses their skills." With that, an even larger Digimon materialized behind him.

Takumi's eyes widened at the sight of it. "W-whoa…" _That's pretty cool…_ He looked between the mechanical dragon and the chrysalis-like Digimon. _It looks like I'll only be in the way if I stand here…_ He took a hesitant step back but paused when the three small Digimon behind him jumped in front of him. "H-huh…?" They looked up at him with determined expressions on their faces and Takumi understood what it was they wanted. He quickly responded with a nod and a smile before facing their first opponent.

The other hacker raised an eyebrow at the strange turn of events. "Well, it seems they want to fight with you. It may have been something of an ordeal, but those Digimon are now yours. Instruct them well, and master the program." He smiled at Takumi.

The budding hacker looked at the three new Digimon and his Digivice quickly registered them. "Terriermon, Palmon, and Hagurumon…" He nodded and smiled at them before noticing his goggles began beeping. Curious, he slipped them on, only to be surprised by the amazing amount of information being relayed to him. Details of all Digimon on the field were displayed before him as he quickly relayed commands out to his team. "All right! Let's do this!" he cried as he sent his team forward to battle the Digimon his Digivice identified as Chrysalimon.

Terriermon was the first to act as he charged straight for Chrysalimon. On Takumi's orders, he jumped into the air and shot a tiny blast of energy from his mouth. "Blazing Fire!"

Chrysalimon roared as he agilely dodged out of the way. "Data Crusher!" A bunch of tentacles shot out towards the doglike Digimon, but a tangle of powerful vines suddenly wrapped themselves around its limbs. Chrysalimon looked towards Palmon as she restrained him with all her strength.

"Stinky Stench!" Palmon lowered her head to point her flower at the large Digimon before spraying their opponent with a powerful stench.

Chrysalimon winced and became stunned, giving Hagurumon the chance to attack without reserve. "Haguru Attack!" The Machine Digimon forcefully slammed into Chrysalimon, knocking it to the ground.

The light-haired hacker calmly smiled as Takumi really was a curious new addition to the hacker family. Despite it only being his first battle, he was able to lead his Digimon with great efficiency. _Still_ , the boy thought to himself, _he has much to learn before he can call himself a proud hacker of EDEN._ "Mugendramon!" he called out to his mechanical dragon. "Mugen Cannon!"

Takumi's eyes widened as he saw the Ultimate-level Digimon charging up its heavy blasters. "Everyone! Get back!" His Digimon quickly returned to him as Mugendramon mercilessly unleashed its attack on Chrysalimon. The blue-eyed boy watched as Chrysalimon faded into data before turning to look at Mugendramon and its master. _So that's what a fully powered Digimon can do…_ "Amazing…" Takumi was quickly shaken out of his thoughts when he heard his Digimon cheering before him.

Pushing his goggles back up, Takumi knelt down before the small creatures so that his height wouldn't intimidate them as much. "You three… You were amazing!" He held out his gloved hand to them. "I'm Aiba Takumi. It's nice to meet you." Takumi let out a yelp as they all pounced on him for hug. The new hacker laughed as he familiarized himself with the Digimon.

The other hacker recalled his Digimon and smiled at the new prospect's rather easygoing personality. _He's actually trying to make friends with Digimon programs…? He might just be softer than me._ He cleared his throat to get Takumi's attention. The redhead looked up towards the light-haired hacker curiously. "It's very rare to obtain a Digimon without scanning it through Digimon Capture, and yet here you are with three of them. What's more," he pensively brought his hand up to his mouth, "for programs to like a person…" The Digimon smiled up at Takumi, causing the veteran hacker to shake his head. "Everything about this is odd. You'll probably be an 'irregular' element among hackers."

"Irregular?" Takumi blinked at that.

"Anyway, you are free from your shell now," the boy proudly told him. "The rest is up to you. I shall take my leave."

As he turned, Takumi called out to the odd boy. "Wait! I'm looking for my friend who came this way! He's a bit older than me and has a pretty mean gaze."

"A young man with a nasty look in his eyes?" the boy paused. "Ah, the other 'irregular' one. Him?" Takumi nodded and the boy pointed towards the path leading deeper into Cron. "He was headed to that area over there."

Takumi craned his neck to get a better look of how deep the area was and frowned. "Do you know what's over there?"

"That used to be the old EDEN entrance area," the boy answered. "The remains of EDEN's creation. Its forgotten dregs. Proof of that lies in the fact that an original logout zone remains there, untouched. It's lock-protected and can't be used, but a hacker could probably deal with said lock."

"I see…" the redhead crossed his arms as a thought came to him. _For a hacker, he sure knows a lot about EDEN…_

"Yes, if you wanted to leave this place, it would be a good idea to use that logout zone. That boy should be able to unlock it in a snap," the grey-eyed boy hid his smirk, "as long as his skills haven't waned, that is."

"You mean… Arata?" Takumi blinked. _I know Arata is good at programming and stuff, but… is he a hacker too?_

"Why are you surprised?" the boy asked with a slight frown. "Don't tell me… He hasn't told you?" Takumi shook his head. "In that case, it's not my story to tell," the boy stated. "It's better to hear it directly from him."

"I guess…" Takumi frowned as the other boy turned away again. "Hold on. One more thing…" The boy didn't move as he waited for Takumi to continue. "I didn't catch your name."

"That's right. I haven't introduced myself." He turned around to directly face the new hacker. "I am Yuugo," he nodded to Takumi. "Yuugo of Team Zaxon. If you want to become a top-tier hacker, then you should seek us out. Our doors are always open." With that, he finally left.

Takumi closed his eyes to take the time to digest all of the information he just learned. _Yuugo… of Team Zaxon? Is that a hacking team? He's not a bad guy since he wants to protect EDEN, but he sure knows a lot about the network... Just who is he really?_ He opened his eyes and sighed to himself. "Well, no sense thinking up conspiracy theories. Anyway, Arata was headed to that area over there. Yuugo also mentioned that there's supposed to be an old logout zone there." He smiled down at his Digimon before remembering something else. "We might be able to log out so I should go get Nokia."

* * *

Nokia took a deep breath as she finally worked up enough nerve to go further into Cron. She looked around for a sign of Takumi or Arata but stopped when she didn't find anything. "Where did those two go? L-like, could hackers have maybe—" She jumped when she heard footsteps nearby. She slowly turned to face the direction the sound was coming from and distinctly heard two voices.

"Hurry! Hurry!" A small orange dinosaur ran across the digital field.

"Wait a moment!" Another strange creature with a horn and wearing a fur cape chased after him. They both spotted Nokia and quickly ducked behind a wall.

The dinosaur cautiously took a peak around the corner. "Quietly…" He let out a grunt when his friend pushed down on his head to get a look too.

* * *

Takumi retraced his steps through Cron carefully, but soon a scream caught his attention. Worried that Nokia was in danger, he quickly called out his Digimon and started running towards her. He paused though when he spotted her. The girl was being circled by two other Digimon and Takumi figured they were rather harmless, considering they didn't seem like they were going to attack. Still, he approached them cautiously with his Digimon out, just in case they were dangerous.

Nokia looked at the two creatures circling her and let out a few squeals. "W-w-what are you!?"

The orange dinosaur stopped running and looked up at her. "Umm… Who are you?"

Nokia was a bit taken aback when it spoke to her. "It… it can talk!?" She relaxed a bit and blinked at the creature. "It's so… cute!" She nervously began to introduce herself. "M-m-my name's Nokia. What're your names?"

"Me?" the dinosaur smiled. "My name is Agumon!"

The fur-wearing Digimon shyly hid behind his friend. "I… I'm Gabumon."

"Agumon and Gabumon?" Nokia giggled. "What weird names!"

"Hey, they're not weird!" Gabumon looked up at her.

"You're the one with the weird name!" Agumon nodded in agreement.

"As if! My name's not weird!" Nokia chuckled.

Agumon paused. "Huh?" He looked over towards Gabumon and saw that he noticed it too.

The girl blinked at the two Digimon. "Huh? What's wrong? Have my totes adorbs good looks stunned you speechless?"

"I can smell something," Agumon whispered. "Something… familiar."

"Wait, what?" Nokia frowned. "Me?"

"Yeah," Gabumon nodded. "Familiar and reassuring."

"Uh, what!?" the girl's face went red. "Come on, this is kind of embarrassing…" She put on a big smile. "Sorry! Guess my naturally alluring pheromones are working full-force today."

Agumon laughed. "See, you ARE weird!" He noticed a weird human with three Digimon accompanying him and tensed up.

Takumi waved at them. "Nokia! It's good to see you safe."

"Oh, Takumi!" Nokia brightened when he returned. "Where the heck have you been!?"

"Yikes!" Gabumon shook his head. "It's another scary person!"

"I'm sick of being chased around," Agumon complained. "Run!"

"Wait! Calm down!" Nokia called out to them. "This is a friend of mine!" The two Digimon didn't listen though and ran off. She let out a long sigh. "They're gone. Just what were those cute little critters?" She shook her head before facing Takumi. "But never mind that. Who are they?" she asked, pointing at the three Digimon following him.

Takumi smiled at his team. "They're my Digimon!"

"Those are… Digimon!?" Nokia turned her head towards where Agumon and Gabumon disappeared. "Then those little cuties were Digimon, too!? But…" She knit her eyebrows together in confusion. "Both those Digimon and these ones here… They don't seem like bad programs."

"They're pretty cool, don't you think?" Takumi nodded.

"Digimon, huh?" Nokia mused as she stared at her phone. "Having cute critters like them around could be pretty okay. Maybe this Digimon Capture thing won't be so bad after all."

"Well, not all of them are cute. We were attacked by a pretty nasty one earlier," Takumi told her. "It'll be bad if Arata encounters one on his own so we'd better get going."

"What!?" Nokia stared at him in surprised. "There was a violent wild Digimon too!? Whatever it was sounds super-duper scary!" She worriedly looked over Takumi's shoulder. "Arata's in the area through there? I'll go with you. Let's go find him!"

* * *

After a while of wandering through Cron, Nokia stopped to think something over. "Something feels really strange. Like this all happened before when I was a kid. It's like I've met you and Arata before…" she told Takumi who was staring at her curiously.

"What do you mean?" he asked. "We've met a bunch of times before in the chat."

Nokia shook her head. "No, not like we had met yesterday in chat or anything like that."

"Are you sure?" Takumi crossed his arms. "We're in the chat room so much that we're pretty familiar with each other."

She blinked at that. "Huh? Like, maybe… Yeah, maybe…" she paused as she couldn't come up with the words to explain it. "Something's strange." She took a moment to think it over some more let out a shriek when her avatar began flickering again.

Takumi winced as something within him resonated with Nokia. His eyes widened when the image of five children flashed in his mind. They seemed familiar, but there wasn't enough detail within the image to quite make them out. He quickly looked around for anything suspicious but couldn't find anything else out of the ordinary.

"What…?" Nokia looked around too. "What was that? Did… Did you see it?"

"Yeah," he nodded to her. "I did…" _Maybe Nokia was right… This is strange… but oddly familiar… What could it be?_ He frowned to himself as a strange feeling of sadness washed over him.

"Again with the hacking!?" Nokia whined. "Honestly! What is WITH this place!?" She quickly started off again. "Let's go! Arata should be up ahead, right?"

Takumi stayed behind for a little while longer to check the area once more. "Is this related… to that ghost boy?" He shook his head as now wasn't the time to be delving into such thoughts. He quickly followed after Nokia but felt a shiver run down his spine. He simply dismissed it though before catching up to the red-haired girl.

* * *

Arata frowned as he looked around the old terminal point. "What was that image just now? A child? I am SO weirded out." He shook his head to clear his thoughts. "Damn it. I wanna know what that was!" He placed a hand on his head. "Whoa… This really does not feel right." A voice behind him caught his attention and he checked to see who it was.

"Ah!" Nokia let out a sigh of relief. "There it is! There!" she pointed at the old terminal. She spotted Arata and frowned at him. "Hang on! You're running off by yourself!? You can't just think about yourself, you know!"

"Well, at least we're all safe," Takumi shrugged. The two of them approached Arata, but Takumi soon paused when his avatar flickered. He looked over towards his Digimon and noticed they were just as tense as he was. "Something's wrong…" he muttered as he looked around for anything remotely dangerous. He lifted his gaze when a bright light caught his attention.

He watched as the light grew into a nautilus shell pattern. From that light, a strange creature emerged from it and landed before them.

Takumi quickly pulled down his goggles to run a scan but he blinked when the Digimon Capture program was unresponsive. _Is that not a Digimon!?_

Behind him, he sensed Nokia beginning to tremble. "What… is this…?"

Arata seemed confused too. "What's that? Is that another Digimon?" His eyes widened though as a horrible thought came to him. "It can't be! The 'Black Monster of EDEN' people have been talking about? They say it devours your data." He called out to the two younger teens. "You guys, this way! Run! Whatever that thing is, it's a real menace, that's for sure! I'll break through the lock on this thing! Log out, then get away as fast as you can!" he urgently told them before pulling up a few monitors to begin his work.

Takumi clenched his fists as he took Arata's advice. He started towards the older boy, but noticed Nokia wasn't following him. He turned to look at her only to see her frozen in place due to fear. "Nokia!"

"Hey, I told you to run, didn't I?" Arata called out to her. "Go on, get out of there!"

Nokia's knees shook as she willed her legs to move, but she was still rooted in place. "Uh… Ha… Ha…"

"Hey!" Arata yelled as the strange creature was now slowly approaching her.

Nokia watched as the monster inched closer but she still couldn't find the strength to move. She flinched when the slimy beast reeled back to attack, but suddenly, two Digimon appeared in front of her. Nokia gasped when she noticed it was Agumon and Gabumon. "H-hey… It's you guys…"

"We'll protect you, Nokia!" Agumon declared.

"G-get out of here, Nokia!" Gabumon bravely tried to exclaim.

"Ah!?" Takumi looked down at his Digimon and they nodded to him. He quickly rushed forward to join the battle. "We can't lose!" he told his team as they took their positions beside Agumon and Gabumon.

"Baby Flame!" the small dinosaur Digimon spit out a fireball as Gabumon quickly followed suit.

"Petit Fire!"

"Blazing Fire!" Terriermon offered his support.

Palmon shook her head to scatter spores on their enemy. "Plant Shock!"

Hagurumon growled as he spit out a dark cog. "Darkness Gear!"

Takumi frowned as the attacks didn't do a thing. "Are we not strong enough…?" he muttered to himself. "Everyone! Forget about doing damage! Just make sure you don't get hurt!" His eyes widened when he saw the creature prepare an attack his Digivice labeled as Erode Device. "Look out!"

The creature sent out its tentacles towards all five Child Digimon, knocking them backwards. Gabumon groaned as he picked himself up off the group. "What should we do? It's too strong!"

"I…" Agumon frowned. "Why am I so weak? We have to help Nokia and the others!"

Takumi knelt down to help his Digimon up. "Everyone…" Takumi frowned to himself before looking up towards the locked gate. "Arata! Hurry!"

Arata finished inputting the string of codes necessary to activate the terminal. "Okay!" he called out. "The lock is taken care of. You can log out!" He frowned when Nokia still wasn't moving. "Come on, Nokia! Hurry!"

"But what about them!?" Nokia worriedly asked.

"Don't you get it? You're holding them back!" Arata scolded her. "They can't do anything until you get away!"

Nokia clenched her fists as she realized he was right. She looked over at Agumon and Gabumon. The two Digimon were pelting the monster with fire again but to no avail. She forced herself to turn away from them and ran towards the terminal to log out.

Once she was gone, Arata looked over to Takumi. "Takumi! Nokia's logged out! I'll go next! You hurry on after us, okay!?"

"Just get going!" Takumi called out before turning his attention to his team. "Everyone, we're leaving!" He recalled his Digimon back into his Digivice and pushed his goggles back up before looking over towards Agumon and Gabumon. "You two…!"

"Just run!" Agumon called out.

"We'll be fine!" Gabumon reassured him.

A part of the redhead didn't want to leave them behind, but it did seem as though they could take care of themselves. "Alright!" He nodded and started for the terminal. He didn't dare look back at the battle or else he'd be tempted to rejoin it, but from the sounds of things, it wasn't going well.

"Ah! Agumon!" Gabumon cried out as his friend was knocked aside. He brought up his arms to guard against any incoming attacks now that he was alone, but to his surprise, the creature ignored him. His eyes widened as he realized where it was going. "No, wait!"

Takumi felt a chilling presence behind him and it caused him to lose his footing, still he remained steady. He thought he felt something brush past his foot and that moment of panic resulted in him tripping towards the terminal. He desperately reached out towards the access point but his vision flickered into static once more.

Within him, he heard the voices of children. "Find us…" they begged him as the world faded to black.

Takumi didn't know whether he had made it to the terminal or whether the monster had got him. All he knew was that his Digivice was giving him an extremely concerning message but that had to mean he was still alive in one form or another.

— _Warning_

 _An unexpected error occurred during the logout process for Aiba Takumi—_

 _The logout process cannot continue…_

 _The logout process cannot continue…_

 _The logout process cannot continue…_

… _The logout process will continue._

 _Logout successful. See you at your next login. Thank you. EDEN is a human network connecting the world to the future, run by Kamishiro Enterprise._

* * *

Takumi took in deep breaths to calm his heart rate. He kept his eyes closed so he could reorganize his thoughts without visual distractions. Still, the noise around him didn't really help because cars were honking incessantly around him. _I'm alive…_ he thought. _But where…?_ The boy slowly opened his eyes and blinked when he noticed something strange about his hands. _H-huh…!? It's not just my hands… My entire body…!_ He stared at the light blue mass that made up his being. _W-what's going on…!?_

Around him, the cars were getting even noisier and he sensed that he was drawing a crowd since he was keeled over in the middle of the street with such a weird appearance. He decided to ignore them though as he tried to make sense of what was going on with his body.

"Um, excuse me… Isn't that dangerous?" a woman nearby ask.

"What's up with that kid?" a man mumbled. "Yikes…"

Soon a shrill voice cut through the air. "You there! What's with making such a scene in broad daylight? You want me to arrest you? Do you!?"

"Um, officer!" a passerby kid called out. "Over here!"

A woman wearing an officer's uniform snapped at the boy. "Who you calling a police officer? I'm a detective! Don't judge a book by its cover! I'll arrest you!" She tensed up when she noticed Takumi's form on the ground. "Huh? What the…?" the woman stared at the boy with wide eyes. "What is that!? What's going on? Urgh, that's gross! So gross I'm gonna arrest you! Right here on the spot!"

Takumi remained still though as he continued taking deep, heavy breaths. In the distance, he made out a car speeding through the streets. Momentarily pulled out of his jumbled thoughts, he quickly focused on the sound to figure out where it was coming from. He tensed up when he realized the car was behind him, but he knew he wouldn't have time to react to it judging by how fast it was moving. He flinched though as a gleaming black sports car with gold accents swerved around him before it came to a screeching halt in front of him.

The boy blinked when the right car door opened for him, revealing a woman with long blonde hair, a pink lens sunglass-style Digivice, and a long black scarf with thin gold lines running through its length. The lady chuckled as she studied Takumi. "You have an interesting appearance… I'm very curious. Handle it! Before it gets worse!"

It seemed as though she were offering him a ride and seeing as his only other alternative was being arrested for no reason, Takumi quickly entered the vehicle, never mind the consequences. He pulled the door close behind him despite the detective woman's protests in the streets.

"Stop that car! I'll arrest you! Wait!" the woman screamed as the car sped off.

Takumi let out a sigh of relief but he couldn't fully relax yet. He looked over at the strange blonde woman with a frown, slightly grateful that his appearance made it difficult for any sort of expression to be discernible on his face. _Just what did I get myself into?_ He studied the sports car for a while before making it out to be an imported Alfa Romeo Montreal. _Well… this sure is fancy… but for some reason... I feel strangely at ease..._

The woman curiously eyed him as she drove. "I'm more used to strange phenomena than most… but I've never seen the likes of this before," she mused. "Can you hear my voice? Are you able to speak?"

"Yeah, I can hear you…" Takumi blinked in surprise. "Huh… I can… talk…" He raised his right hand up to examine it. He opened and closed it a few times before deciding that he really was still in control of his strange body. It felt extremely different though. _It's super light… like how it was in EDEN…_

"That's good," the mysterious woman said, pulling him out of his reverie. "I wasn't sure what I was going do if you weren't human."

"Ah… would I still be considered human like this?" he humorously asked. "How did I even get this way?"

"I see," the woman smirked. "So you have no idea what it is that happened to you."

"Pretty much," Takumi nodded.

"If you have questions, ask them now," she told him. "I'll answer whatever I can."

Takumi's mind immediately went to Nokia and Arata. "My friends! Where have they gone!? We logged out from the same terminal in EDEN…"

"No," the woman shook her head. "There wasn't anyone else around. Just you. You're wondering whether the same thing might've happened to your friends?"

"Well, of course," Takumi sighed. He felt rather relieved since if Nokia and Arata weren't around, there was probably a high chance that they didn't end up with whatever condition he had.

The lady must have sensed his thoughts because she shook her head at him again. "I see… I can't tell you to not worry about them, but your first priority should be taking care of yourself."

"Then, do you know what's happened to my body?"

"It looks like your body is in an extreme digital state, as if it were a cyberspace avatar, yet somehow here in the real world."

"Ah…" Takumi nodded in understanding. "That makes sense since it feels just like when I was in EDEN."

"If that's true, then this is a very interesting phenomenon," the woman mused as she made a sharp turn.

Takumi glanced out the window and frowned as he couldn't recognize what street he was on. "Um… where are we exactly?"

"Shinjuku," she simply replied. "I was out working, looking for something, when I came across you here."

"Really…?" Somehow, Takumi found it very unlikely.

"You might not believe that, but it's the truth," the woman shrugged. "I'm headed to my agency's office in Nakano. You can tell me the details when we get there."

"Agency?" the boy brought his hand up to his mouth and closed his eyes. He opened them again when he had one last, very important question to ask. "Who are you?"

"Who am I?" the woman blinked at him before she realized something too. "Ah, I haven't introduced myself yet. I should have done that earlier, but you were such a curiosity it completely slipped my mind. Sorry," she said with a small smirk.

"Better late than never," Takumi shrugged. "But I guess it's rude to ask someone to introduce themselves without introducing yourself first. I'm Aiba Takumi."

"Well, Takumi, I'm Kuremi Kyoko," the woman told him in response. "I'm just a humble detective."

"A detective, huh?" Takumi crookedly grinned.

* * *

 **Final Notes:** Because the game's audio is in Japanese, I decided to use the family name first naming scheme. Also, I'm going to be using the original Japanese names for the Digimon when I can. Same thing for their attacks. I should thank Wikimon for being such a reliable site for attacks since I'm too lazy to look up in the game the proper in-game attacks each Digimon can learn. And technically, if you try really hard, you can make any Digimon any inheritable attack, so I'm just going with their signature attacks... Oh, and since there's Digimoji in the game, I decided to just literally translate that into romanji. That's all for now. I'll probably explain a few more things during tomorrow's update since this _is_ just the game's prologue.


	2. Welcome to the Kuremi Detective Agency

**Author's Notes:** Alright, now getting into the game's first chapter. There's so much exposition to cover in each chapter and I couldn't really find a way to break them like I could with Persona 3. Also... the passage of time is really weird in this game. Unless it's obvious, I can't tell when a day passed or not so I don't even know how long this adventure is. Hell, I don't even know what season it is. Or how old Takumi is... I know he's a high school student, but that's pretty much it. For the sake of my sanity, I'm going to assume Takumi is either a first or second year, Nokia is the same age as him, and Arata is a year older than them.

* * *

Takumi was surprised when Kyoko led him into Nakano Broadway. She had said her agency was in Nakano, but he didn't expect it to be in the popular shopping complex. Still, it made sense that the Kuremi Detective Agency was located in a remote corner of the first floor. He slowly took in the messy office as he sat on one of the sofas Kyoko pointed out to him. At her prompting, Takumi began to explain the entire ordeal his first time in EDEN turned out to be.

When he finished, Kyoko crossed her arms as she considered the teen's situation. "I see. You've got a good grasp on the situation."

Takumi frowned at that. "Well, it's good enough, I suppose… I only told you all the details I thought were important."

She smirked at him. "That place in Shinjuku where you appeared," she pondered. "It's the same, or very similar, to the place you logged in to EDEN at, isn't it?"

"Uh…" the digital entity shook his head. "Not really… The login point I used was nowhere near Shinjuku."

"Hmm…" Kyoko rested her chin in her hand. "Well, you're here talking to me now, but it seems there's another body out there for you as well."

"Eh!?" Takumi blinked at that. "A-another body…?" He brought a hand up to his forehead in disbelief. "I guess that's plausible… Even more jarring is the fact that a few days passed while I was in the middle of logging out… Could that have anything to do with my current situation?"

"Maybe your mental data was separated from your physical body and manifested in the real world independently?" Kyoko proposed as another theory came to mind. "Or maybe your body was somehow moved to Shinjuku where it was corrupted into the form you have now." She shook her head as there was no way to tell. "The whole situation is entirely too peculiar. Yet here you are, standing before me, as much as that shouldn't make sense. At present, I can only form a simple hypothesis. We need to gather more information, and quickly."

"Alright," the teen agreed. "So what should we do?"

"Going by the book, you should check out where you logged in to EDEN…" Kyoko nodded. "Which was where?"

Takumi brought a hand to where his mouth should be as he wondered why the detective was helping him. "This isn't some part of some wicked scheme, is it?" he asked. His tone had been light enough to be taken for a joke, but still serious enough to convey his suspicions to the blonde detective.

"Come now," the woman gave him a slight frown. "You don't trust me? You are at the Kuremi Detective Agency, which has solved a number of rather bizarre cases, including cyber crimes," she told him with a smile. "I can think of nobody better suited to solving the mystery of what happened to you. And you're even sitting on the sofa for clients," she pointed out.

Takumi knit his eyebrows together and looked down at his seat. "Ah… I see…" _Well, she has me there._ "But even if I ask that you solve this case, I don't think I can cover the fees," he shook his head.

"No need to worry about compensation," Kyoko reassured him. "Your very existence is all the payment I need."

"My existence…?" The teen nervously chuckled at that. "So… like an indentured servant working off his debt?"

The blonde woman smirked at his comment. "Let's pretend you've boarded a luxury liner. Say, the Mary Celeste."

"Ah…" Takumi sheepishly scratched his head. "I meant for that to be only a joke… And I wouldn't really call a mysteriously abandoned merchant brigantine a luxury liner..."

Kyoko shook her head. "Anyway, let's get back on track here. Where did you log in? But first…" she frowned at his form. "Before we do anything else, we must do something about your appearance. You can't walk around outside like that. And it looks pretty unstable, as well."

"Y-yeah…" Takumi sighed as he could actually see through his translucent hand. "I don't want to get arrested just for looking like this," he muttered, remembering the detective cop from before.

"I've had a good look," Kyoko crossed her arms and smugly smirked, "and you are truly a mass of data: a true digital body. Yet you hear my voice, sit on my sofa, and can talk to me. Proof that you obey physical laws." She pensively brought her hand up to chin. "A digital body with real-world characteristics. Let's call it a 'half-cyber body'," she chuckled.

"Half-cyber…" the teen absently repeated. "Oh, if that's the case, it should be made of programmable data."

Kyoko nodded as he was quick to catch on. "If your body is comprised of data, then it could be easy to do something about your appearance. Incorporate compatible data and make repairs. You should have the same basic structure as an avatar used within EDEN. It would be excellent if there were avatar parts in the data found lying around Cron."

"There should if Cron is the remnants of EDEN's prototype," Takumi stated, remembering what Yuugo had told him earlier. "Why don't I check it out?"

"The only issue is whether or not you can login in your current state."

"Ah… Good point," Takumi paused to think things further before something flashing caught his eye. _Huh…? The TV?_ Without another thought, he got up from his seat and approached the device.

"What is it?" Kyoko curiously watched him. "Did something happen with the television?"

"I'm not sure…" He intently stared at the wide screen before a strange voice called out to him.

 _"Over here. Jump."_

"Huh!?" Takumi blinked as it wasn't a voice he recognized, but for some reason, it pulled at him. "Jump!? I couldn't possibly—!" He quickly shook his head to clear it of doubt. _I might as well try!_ He held out his right hand towards the screen and watched as a portal opened up from the television, pulling him into it.

It was a similar sensation as to when he logged onto EDEN and when he was on the other side, he stared at the strange new network he appeared in. It looked like a road of sorts and he found that he was floating through the data stream. Takumi was a bit confused but suddenly his Digivice activated itself and his Digimon emerged. They all gave him a look of confusion and Takumi quickly explained it to them. "Urged on by a voice, I took a leap of faith," Takumi crossed his arms. "But what the heck happened?" He decided to take the chance and see if he could travel down the road-like system. "It looks like we can go forward after all," he smiled as he began gliding through the digital space.

* * *

At the end of the digital road, Takumi was surprised to find himself in a bright area. He turned around to check if he could go backwards, but the path disappeared. "The exit? It's gone. Guess I can't go back the way I came." Seeing as he could only go forward, Takumi took a moment to gather his bearings. "Is this… EDEN?" He paused when his Digivice began ringing so he promptly answered. "Hello? Aiba Takumi speaking."

"This is Kuremi Kyoko," the caller replied. "Can you hear me?"

"Yeah," the teen nodded. "I hear you."

"I nearly lost you, but I managed to get a trace," Kyoko nodded to him. "What the heck happened? It looked like you were sucked into the terminal and just disappeared."

The boy nervously chuckled. "Sorry… but I heard a voice telling me to 'jump' and so I did… into the TV…" He studied his surroundings and frowned. "I ended up here in EDEN somehow."

"I see," Kyoko pensively mulled this over. "I'm guessing you passed through the actual network lines themselves. The office terminal is connected to EDEN's network. You rode the flow within the wires as data and appeared in EDEN," she surmised. "So then for you, the network appears as an actual series of roads."

"That's one way to describe it," Takumi nodded.

"Still, it's shocking to see you make such a direct transition from the real world to the digital one," Kyoko stated. "To submerge in the digital world just by touching the terminal. A dive… no, a jump!" She gave the teen a smirk. "From now on I'm going to call that ability yours a 'Connect Jump'. What a happy little unexpected accident! Now you can go look around for avatar part data. Head to Cron," she instructed him. "There's plenty of junk data lying around there. It should be easy to find what you need."

"Understood," Takumi nodded before cutting the call.

He started for the terminal access point but paused when that strange voice from before spoke to him again. _"This way. Come on."_

The boy frowned suspiciously but decided to take another risk. "I guess I should go in the direction of that voice."

* * *

Takumi blinked when the terminal took him to another strange place. It looked like a lab of some sort and there was no one else here except for a woman with short purple hair and glasses. She seemed pleased that Takumi finally arrived and greeted him with a nod. "Ah, so you can hear my voice. Welcome to the DigiLab. This place has a faint connection with the Digital World. A paradise for Digimon." She flashed him a smirk and brought her left hand up to push her glasses back. "I am Mikagura Mirei. I open this paradise unto you!"

"Huh…?" Takumi frowned as none of that made any sense. "Digi…Lab?"

"The Digital Monster Laboratory," she nodded. "You could it the 'DML' for short, I suppose. I recommend calling it the 'DigiLab', though."

"O-okay…" Takumi crossed his arms as that didn't explain anything. He blinked when he realized she said something odd. "Digital World?" the hacker tilted his head to the side. "What's that?"

"It's okay if you don't know about it," Mirei told him. "For now, at least. When the time comes, I expect you will know what you need to know."

"I… suppose…" Takumi frowned. "So why am I here?"

"I called you…" she replied. After a while she shook her head. "No, that's not quite it. It was you who called to me."

"Me…?"

She nodded to the confused teen. "You are beginning to develop a deep connection with Digimon," she stated as she stared at the three Digimon he owned. "Our strings of fate intertwined and drew me in, and so I found you. In other words, it was you who called out to me. But that's enough of that for now."

"I still don't get it, but…" Takumi shook his head. "Okay… I'll go along with it for now." He scanned the room once more. "DigiLab, huh…?"

Satisfied with his open-mindedness, she motioned towards the various monitors. "First off, what kind of place is this? Go and check it out with your own eyes."

"Alright," the curious teen nodded before taking his time to check each facility with Mirei. It didn't take long before he got the basics down and he quickly called his team back to him. Mirei walked him to the terminal and he quickly thanked her for the tour.

"Do you understand the DigiLab?" she asked him with a smirk. "Use it carefully to further your interactions with Digimon. Let me see if you're the person I thought you might be."

"Huh…?" Takumi knit his eyebrows together in confusion, but Mirei quickly shook her head at him.

"Finally, one last thing," she pushed up her glasses. "A small token for you."

Takumi flinched as his body glowed. He stared at his hands to see if anything had changed, but nothing really stood out except a new message from his Digivice. _"You got a Hacking Skill."_

"Hacking…?" Takumi took a moment to take it all in. "So I really am a hacker now…"

"Hacking skills shine in combination with Digimon use," Mirei explained to him, "but are dangerous if used for unscrupulous hacking purposes. How you use your skills is up to you. Never forget that."

"That sounds like what Yuugo told me before," Takumi crossed his arms. "But… there's not really any goal I have in mind with these skills," he admitted.

"You can deepen your special ties with the Digimon," she suggested to him. "Live with them. Share their joys and sadness, and grow together! By deepening your bond with the Digimon, they'll surely offer you their aid. It is a very important ability. It will even change your life."

"My… life…?" Takumi looked down at his strange form.

"Connect Jump…" Mirei curiously studied the boy's half-cyber body. "That's what you call your curious skill. I know nothing of this power," she shook her head at him. "It's like a hacking skill, but… well, different. But I'm certain it's a skill that will serve you in unique ways. I'll see you later," she told him. "Take care."

"Alright," Takumi nodded to his team. "We're going!"

"You were heading to Cron, I suspect?" Mirei guessed. "Just this once, I'll let you use the special exit." She returned to her seat and pulled up a terminal. As she typed in a few codes, she smiled at Takumi. "Next time, go to the access point, if you please."

* * *

Takumi stared at the firewall that had prevented him from leaving Cron before. To test out his new abilities, he looked at the Digimon following him. "Ready?" he asked them. The boy held out his right hand to the firewall and attempted to hack past it. The blockade lit up and unlocked itself before disappearing. Alright! Let's keep going!" Takumi smirked as he entered Galacta Park. He paused when he received another call. "Hello? Aiba Takumi speaking," he answered.

"It's me," Kyoko greeted him. "Whew, I finally got through to you. I lost your trace info and had to search again," she explained. "Where did you wander off to this time?"

"Ah… I made a stop at the DigiLab…" Takumi answered. "Something about me calling out to someone named Mikagura Mirei? She told me a few things about how to raise my Digimon, but that's it."

"I see," Kyoko brought her hand up to her mouth. "So you ran into Mikagura Mirei."

"Huh? Do you know her, Kyoko-san?"

"Yeah, you could say we're acquainted." Kyoko hid her smirk. "Regardless, for there to have been a natural progression where you would meet her…" She chuckled at Takumi. "You seem to have the craziest luck."

"Luck, coincidence, fate…" Takumi shrugged. "It doesn't change my current situation," he sighed.

Kyoko nodded to him as she returned to the task at hand. "Let's assume you carried out your original objective. We'll start by…" She blinked as she noticed the firewall in Cron was gone. "What? You've already broken through the firewall?" She smirked at his innate hacking skill. "Well done! You saved me some time," she chuckled. "All right, on to our next move. I scanned the area around the entrance to Cron and marked key junk data sites."

"Junk data?" Takumi asked as he was about to slip on his goggles to scan around him. He didn't though as he noticed the information his Digivice was collecting was directly being relayed to him through his senses. He could actually see for himself the markers Kyoko laid out for him.

"Junk data will serve as your body parts," the detective told him. "You need to go find and retrieve some. It's something of a stopgap measure, and it may not be a perfect solution, but I'm sure your skills are up to the task. This is a key step to returning your body to normal, so buck up and get to work!" she directed him.

"I see you're already taking to being my 'boss' already, Kyoko-san, even though I have yet to agree to work for you," Takumi chuckled. He paused as a thought came to him. "Hey, wait a moment! I'm the client in this case! Why am I doing the field work for you? You're the detective here! Shouldn't you be the one searching for my body parts?"

"It's okay," she shrugged. "Searching for body parts isn't as hard as defeating 48 demons, now, is it?"

"That's… not what I meant…"

"Think of it as an emergency measure," Kyoko dismissed his concerns. "I look forward to meeting you in your normal body." With that, she cut the call, much to Takumi's dismay.

"She's… not quite what I imagined a detective to be," he smiled to himself.

* * *

"Petit Twister!" Terriermon stopped spinning as he took care of the remaining Digimon guarding the junk data.

Takumi quickly loaded the data into his Digivice and signaled his Digimon that they were done. "Alright! I'm loading the parts now!" With a flash, his avatar stopped flickering and his regular appearance returned. "Success!" he gave his Digimon a thumb up.

As if on cue, Kyoko called him to check his progress. "Hmm… You at least look normal again," she mused. "It's not a perfect solution, but it's a big step."

"Of course!" Takumi nodded. "I have my body back!" He paused and crookedly chuckled. "Sort of…"

"The objective has been met," Kyoko nodded to him. "Come back to the agency."

"Understood." He turned around to exit Cron, but stopped. "Um… How do I…?"

The woman raised an eyebrow at him. "What's that? You don't know how to get back?" She brought a hand up to her mouth. "Hmm… Try logging out as you would normally. Since you went in through an agency terminal, my guess is that you should come out through one. But to be honest, in your case, I don't know what'll happen until we try."

"I suppose…" Takumi shrugged.

"In the worse case, if your data gets scattered throughout the network, I'll salvage as much as I can." The look of surprise on Takumi's face made Kyoko chuckle. "I'm joking! Sort of."

"That's not funny!" Takumi wailed in horror. "But anyways, I'm heading back now." He cut the call and massaged the back of his neck. "Well, Kyoko-san doesn't _seem_ like a bad person… A bit roundabout and difficult to figure out maybe, but she's genuinely interested in my situation." He stared at the back of his gloved hand. "Actually… I feel the same way… Maybe it wouldn't hurt to stick around…" He started to leave but paused to take a look at the locked terminal he had used before.

The redhead frowned when he noticed it was once again deactivated. Whatever Arata did back then must have only been temporary but at least it worked. Takumi checked the area once more for any sign of the monster or those other two Digimon. He crossed his arms when nothing turned up before deciding it was best to leave things be.

* * *

Takumi blinked as he found himself back at the agency. "I'm home!" he jokingly greeted Kyoko.

"Welcome back," the woman chuckled back at him. "You made it back in one piece, didn't you? I wouldn't have expected anything different."

"So you really were joking back then," Takumi sheepishly smiled. "At least nothing bad came from these little tests of ours…"

She smirked back at him before she became serious again. "Still, those abilities border on the unreal. Maybe the reason you still adhere to physical laws has to do with an instinctual fear present in all physical organisms." She laughed to herself at such a deeply rooted psychological phenomenon. "This is all truly fascinating!"

"Pardon me, Kyo-chan," a voice interrupted her from her thoughts.

Kyoko frowned before spinning her chair to face the middle-aged man Takumi and she failed to notice earlier. "There you go again, sneaking up on me, old man."

"Oops, sorry," the man smirked at her. "I did it again."

"And could you stop calling me Kyo-chan?" the woman crossed her arms. "It's embarrassing. That was a childhood nickname."

"Not going to happen," the man shook his head. "Kyo-chan will always be Kyo-chan to me." He began laughing. "No matter how old you get or how brilliant of a detective you become!"

"How long have you been there?" Kyoko asked him. "And what did you hear?" Her eyes wandered over towards Takumi in concern.

"I just got here," he crossed his arms. "Is something wrong?" He looked over at the red-haired boy standing in front of her desk. "Oh, you have a client. Sorry, sorry! Were you going over a case?"

"No, this is—" Kyoko paused as she didn't know whether to call the boy a client or her prospective yet reluctant employee, "well, a client of sorts, though of a somewhat unconventional nature."

"Oh?" This piqued the man's interest in the teen. "Just who are you, then?" he asked the young man.

Takumi smiled at the sketchy old man and politely introduced himself. "Aiba Takumi," he shook the man's hand. "As for my role here? Uh…" His blue eyes nervously darted towards Kyoko. "That's a secret," he crookedly grinned. His answer must have amused Kyoko because she raised an eyebrow at him as she too smirked at their guest.

The man narrowed his eyes on the detective and the boy. _He's a lot like Kyo-chan back when she was his age…_ he thought as he crossed his arms.

Kyoko brushed her hair to the side as she guessed what the old man was thinking. "Hmph. Like I said, no one in particular. Not yet."

"Not yet, huh?" Takumi sheepishly chuckled before blinking at the shady-looking man. "Um… and you are?"

"Let me introduce you," Kyoko nodded. "This is Detective Matayoshi Gorou. He's an old friend from when my father ran the agency and I trust him completely. He's the most elite detective the force has on cyber crime."

"Eh? A detective from the police department?" Takumi blinked at the man in surprise.

Matayoshi nodded at him. "Looks are deceiving, you were thinking?" He shrugged at the young boy. "Well, I suppose I don't exactly fit the mold. But if I did, I'd never be able to tag along with the shadier element. Oops!" he grinned. "A slip the tongue!" he laughed.

"So, is there something afoot?" Kyoko asked him. "If it's a case, sit on the sofa and wait a bit." She stood from her desk with a smile on her face. "I'll just whip up some tasty coffee…" she offered.

Matayoshi immediately shook his head. "No, thank you!" he declined. Takumi blinked as he thought he caught a hint of fear in the man's voice. "There's no case today! No need for coffee!" He crossed his arms as a sly smile appeared on his face. "I heard a rumor about EDEN Syndrome. I thought you might be interested, Kyo-chan."

This seemed to have caught her attention and the detective seriously nodded at the old man. "Let's hear it, then."

Takumi watched as Matayoshi took a seat in the client's sofa and Kyoko sat on the sofa opposite of him. The teen felt a bit out of place but quickly stood off the side, facing Matayoshi. This made the older detective stare at him with a scrutinizing gaze. The redhead blinked at him while doing his best to not crack under the pressure he suddenly felt crushing him. Finally, Matayoshi crossed his arms and cleared his throat.

Takumi nervously tilted his head to the side. "Is something the matter, Detective Matayoshi?"

Kyoko chuckled as she explained it to the older detective. "No need to worry about my assistant, old man. This is someone with a rather… special connection with EDEN." She proudly smirked at the teenager. "My assistant has the potential to become something of a specialist in the field." She turned her gaze back towards Matayoshi. "Let's hear what you have to say."

"I see," the veteran detective nodded to her. "If you can vouch for your assistant, that's fine." His expression darkened as he suddenly became very serious. "The rumor concerns the special ward in the hospital where they're isolating the EDEN Syndrome patients." He looked over towards Takumi when the boy blankly blinked at him. "Oh. Do I need to explain what EDEN Syndrome is to your future specialist?" he asked with a smirk.

"Please do," Kyoko nodded.

"It's a rare condition where EDEN users suddenly lose consciousness and are unable to wake up," he began. "We see more and more patients with each year, but the cause, symptoms, and treatment remain a mystery. There's a special ward at Central Hospital for EDEN patients. Treatment and a search for the cure are underway. But information there is kept heavily restricted. There are facilities even relatives can't enter."

"Eh…?" Takumi crossed his arms. "That's pretty shady…"

Matayoshi nodded in agreement. "The rumor is that they're concealing facts to help protect Kamishiro's image. This remains firmly in rumor territory for now. But lately, there have been happenings behind the scenes at Central Hospital."

"Behind the scenes?" Kyoko brought a hand up to her chin. "Meaning Kamishiro Enterprise, right?"

"Yes," the older detective nodded. "The hospital is under Kamishiro's control. The same Kamishiro running the EDEN Network. The number of patients is increasing and symptoms are getting worse. Now of all times is when Kamishiro needs to come clean, not remain silent. An alarming number of people are being admitted to the hospital in question and security in the special ward has allegedly been beefed up. This means something is afoot."

"It was going to happen eventually," Kyoko mused.

"Yes, indeed," Matayoshi nodded.

The information put the blonde detective into a good mood so she stood up. With a chuckle, she started for the backroom. "I think I'll put some coffee on after all! We can toast the agency's success!"

Matayoshi tensed up again. "Oh, look at the time," he said, pulled his cap down over his face. "I'd better get back to the station. Sorry, but let's save the toast for another time. See you later!" He quickly started for the exit, but pulled Takumi closer towards him before whispering a few words of advice to the young prospective detective's assistant so that he may live a long, healthy life. "I'd watch out for her coffee. Especially the color and the solid chunks floating in it. I fear the day is coming when I'll be forced to actually taste her coffee." He sighed. "That day won't be pretty…"

"Chunks…?" Takumi asked but the old man was already gone.

Kyoko didn't seem to notice their exchange as she returned to her desk, a bit disappointed Matayoshi left, but there was work to be done. "It was as he said," she stated to Takumi. "Fresh information on EDEN Syndrome is hard to come by. Kamishiro's behind-the-scenes restrictions are doing their job. And security will only get ramped up all the more from here on out."

Takumi moved from the entrance of the agency to the front of her desk. "Kyoko-san, is it okay for me to ask why you're looking into this?"

"There's something very strange happening in EDEN, then you show up in your weird body," she replied to him. "And at the same time, Kamishiro's apparently on the move. Is that all merely a coincidence?" Takumi closed his eyes to ponder his answer but Kyoko shook her head. "No, it has to all be connected," she answered herself. "The rationale is plain as day. No leaps in logic are necessary."

"You sound pretty confident in that conclusion…" Takumi noted with a slightly worried frown on his face as he opened his eyes.

Kyoko looked up a few things on her computer before rising to her feet again. "I'm heading to Central Hospital," she stated. "I need to get as much info as I can before security is stepped up. I'd be thrilled if you came with me," she seriously looked into Takumi's blue eyes.

"Eh!?" Takumi was surprised by her request. "Really!? But… I'm not really your assistant…"

"You might be able to get some info on your current state," she pointed out. "Seek and ye shall find! Knock and it shall be…" She paused for a moment and brought her hand to her chin. "No, in your case, let's go with 'Open Sesame'," she chuckled.

The redhead chuckled at that. "From the Bible to 'One Thousand and One Nights', huh? Well," he crossed his arms and grinned, "I can live with that."

* * *

The detective and her prospective assistant entered the hospital and looked around the lobby. Kyoko wore a small smile as she considered their plan of assault. "Well, what to do? At times like these, I tend to start off with a frontal attack." She nodded to the teen accompanying her. "Let's try direct negotiations to get us into the hospital's Special Ward."

"A frontal attack?" Takumi nervously asked, bringing his gloved hand to his mouth. "What does that entail exactly? It sounds dangerous..."

Kyoko chuckled at his reaction. "You're a sharp one! But preconceived notions can sometimes lead to unintended consequences," she told him. "Don't ask for details. They say that ignorance is bliss, after all."

"Sure, people say that, but it doesn't make it true," Takumi pointed out.

The detective shook her head at him. "I'll give you instructions later. Until then, gather info inside the hospital."

The redhead blinked at her and frowned. "That's… it?"

"Asking questions is the most fundamental cornerstone in detective work!" she nodded before giving him an encouraging smile. "I wasn't joking when I said you could become a specialist in the field, my dear prospective assistant."

"I got that, but…" He shook his head as an uncertain frown appeared on his face.

Kyoko studied his serious expression before coming up with something to say to put him at ease. "Become a GP and record my activities in a chart or become a boy with shining red cheeks…" she offered him. "It's really a lot of fun," she chuckled.

"I have no idea what you mean," Takumi sighed as she walked away. "And of course all the legwork goes to me…" he sagged his shoulders. He quickly straightened up though as this _was_ his only way of repaying the detective for taking on his "case". _And what a complicated case it is…_ "At the very least, becoming a detective's assistant will be interesting. Despite the fact I know she's just using me, I'll stick with it for now…" Takumi turned away from the hospital entrance and scanned the lobby. "Where should I start?" he asked himself. His eyes skimmed over the reception desk before he spotted a nurse speaking with a girl his age with long black hair. He paused as something about her caught his attention. "Huh…?" Before he even realized it, his body was already walking towards her. He quickly stopped himself though when he was halfway across the lobby.

Takumi continued to stare at the girl and the nurse. He couldn't make out what the lady was saying to her, but the girl seemed a bit sad. A lot of different theories began forming in Takumi's mind, but he couldn't quite keep up with his own rapid thought process. Soon, the nurse finished speaking with the girl and the raven-haired teen watched the lady walk away. Takumi froze up when the girl spotted him staring at her.

 _Ah…!_ The redhead gulped. After a while, he mentally frowned to himself because there was something about her dark grey eyes, fair skin, black hair, and small frown that seemed familiar. For some reason, the longer he stared at her, the sadder he felt and he didn't quite understand why.

The girl blankly stared back at him and Takumi wished he could figure out what it was she was thinking as they silently faced each other. It didn't seem as though she was going to be the first to break her gaze, so Takumi decided to make an attempt to lighten the mood.

He awkwardly smiled at her as he came up with the first line that popped into his head. "H-hey, girl. Have we met?"

Takumi let out a shaky laugh, but the girl didn't respond. She finally looked away from him when the elevator behind her dinged. Without giving the redhead another glance, she entered the lift. Takumi watched as the doors closed behind her before frowning at what a mess that encounter was.

"I wonder why she looks so lonely…" he muttered to himself as he recalled how sad her eyes were. He didn't quite understand it himself, but the girl's loneliness gave him chest pain. He placed his gloved right hand over his heart and grabbed his shirt. _Why do I suddenly feel like crying?_ Takumi closed his eyes and shook his head when he remembered his current task. "I'd better get to work," he reminded himself. He opened his blue eyes before scanning the lobby again for a suitable place to start his investigation.

* * *

After running around the lobby and General Ward, Takumi took the elevator up to the Special Ward. As soon as he stepped out onto the thirteenth floor, he frowned. There was something different about this floor that made him wary so he carefully scanned the hallway before proceeding.

"There's no one here," he muttered to himself as he started walking. "Wait…" he paused when he spotted two guards standing in front of a key-gated door. Takumi nervously approached one of the men. "Excuse me! Is it possible for me to visit a patient here?"

"Anyone without permission is prohibited from entering this area!" the guard mechanically stated. "In other words, get out!"

"I see," Takumi frowned. "Sorry for disturbing you then," he bowed his head and backtracked into the hall to contact Kyoko. "Kyoko-san," he whispered.

"It's me," she replied.

"I'm on the thirteenth floor, but the guards won't let me pass."

"We can ride the elevator to the Special Ward floor but can't enter the rooms without permission," Kyoko frowned. "It goes without saying that we have no such permission."

"Then what do we do now?"Takumi asked.

"We take out the two guards and hack our way past the door, which is likely locked, to get into the room. This is what I call a frontal attack," Kyoko told him. She paused for a moment before shaking her head. "But it takes time to prepare, and the risks are high. Let's not rely on a frontal attack now. We'll trust in your abilities—our trump card."

"Trump card…?" Takumi had a vague idea of where this was heading.

"The terminal in the nurse's station should be connected to the hospital network," Kyoko notified him. "I don't have to spell it all out for you, do I?"

"A Connect Jump," he nodded. "I got it." He ended the call and started back down to the General Ward.

* * *

Takumi quickly answered his Digivice as soon as he successfully finished his Connect Jump. "I'm in, Kyoko-san."

"You managed to get there without incident!" Kyoko gave him a satisfactory smile and nod before chuckling. "Just as I expected it would go! Okay, let's move into action. Get the data from the room in the back while keeping an eye on the patients."

Takumi frowned at her. "Isn't this a crime?"

"That's for the authorities to decide, not us," Kyoko shrugged. "If it's against the law, then the law will try us. But until then, we're in a bit of a gray area. Detectives generally operate unchallenged when it comes to this sort of thing," the woman reassured him.

"Alright, I get it," the teen nodded. "I'll get the data now." He cut the transmission and continued forward but before he could reach the control room, one of the patients caught his eye. He rushed over to the window in front of the patient and the sight of who it was made his breathing hitch. "No way!" he choked out. Takumi pressed his half-cyber hands against the glass. "Is this… me?" He rested his forehead against the window next. "Is this my… physical body!?" The redhead shook his head and closed his eyes. "This is shocking but… I wasn't expecting to see that my own body was in such good shape. I should be happy, I suppose," he said with a forced smile. He opened his eyes when he realized something. "But if I'm being kept in the isolation ward… then I really must have EDEN Syndrome," he sadly concluded as he forced himself to turn away from his physical body.

The detective's assistant approached the heavy doors leading to the command room and watched as they opened for him. He took a quick look around before spotting an active monitor. He hurried over to it and began accessing its files.

 _File 001: EDEN Syndrome_

 _A mysterious illness whereby people suddenly fall into comas while connected to the EDEN Network. Originally the term was given to the incessant vomiting and other symptoms common to those unused to spending time in the Digital World. But now, EDEN Syndrome is used to describe the more serious malady of inexplicable loss of consciousness while connected to the EDEN Network. After extended time in a coma, the body weakens, becoming more susceptible to complications. In the worst cases, this has led to death._

Takumi frowned as he moved onto the next file.

 _File 002: Treatments for EDEN Syndrome_

 _No effective treatment has been found for EDEN Syndrome. Research continues into treatments and causes of this unexplained illness._

The redhead sighed, but continued delving further into the computer.

 _File 003: Association with Kamishiro Enterprise_

 _EDEN is a large-scale digital space operated by Kamishiro Enterprise. Deeply affiliated with governmental agencies, EDEN's business areas are expanding quickly. Immediate improvements and user training must be provided to warn users against long login times. Furthermore, the EDEN interface uses Kamishiro Enterprise's proprietary technology, making future research sharing problematic._

Satisfied with the information he just downloaded onto his Digivice, Takumi decided now was the best time to leave. He couldn't risk overstaying his welcome and there wasn't anything else of interest left on the computer. As he exited out of the command room though, he was shocked to see someone in the Special Ward.

 _Ah…! It's that girl from before!_ His body froze up when she stared back at him with an equally surprised expression on her face.

"Why are you here?" she asked him.

"Maybe I'm stalking you…?" Takumi weakly joked. He let out an uneasy chuckle as he peered over her shoulder towards the terminal he used to get into the Special Ward.

After dismissing his poor joke, the girl regained her composure and glared at him suspiciously. "This area is supposed to be off-limits, with guards watching over the only entrance. How did you get in here? Did you do something to the guards? Who even are you?"

"Well…" Takumi shifted his gaze away from her as he tried to come up with something to say. After a while he shook his head before he decided to ask questions of his own. "Who are you? Are you a relative of a patient? Are you with Kamishiro?"

"Don't answer a question with a question!" she frowned at him. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Perhaps she had been a bit too hasty with her interrogation so she quickly calmed herself down. "Answer me," she calmly told him as she opened her eyes.

Takumi relaxed his guard a bit, but he still knew it was best he didn't answer directly. "I'm just a plain old detective's assistant," he finally settled on saying.

She gasped in surprise and brought her hand up to her mouth. "Wait, is Kuremi…?"

The redhead frowned at this. _She knows about the agency…_ He was prepared to raise his guard again, but to his surprise and relief, her brusque demeanor further lessened now that she assumed he was a part of the Kuremi Detective Agency.

"I see," the girl nodded. "Well, never mind, then."

"Never… mind?" Takumi knit his eyebrows together.

"You came to investigate EDEN Syndrome, right?" she asked him. Takumi curtly nodded in response. "Was there something you wanted to ask?"

"Eh!?" Takumi blinked at her in surprise. "Is this a trick or something?"

She shook her head. "I'll answer your questions." The girl saw that the boy was still reluctant to speak. "Don't get me wrong. I'm just trying to come clean in order to clear my own name here."

"Clear… your name…?" the redhead finally relaxed. _Is her name Kamishiro?_

"I am in debt to Kamishiro," the girl further explained, "so if you have a few questions, I can answer them, I think."

"What should I ask?" Takumi muttered into his hand. His eyes wandered slightly and before he knew it, he was staring at his body again. _I suppose that's a good place to start… I need to know how much I can trust her._ He pointed to his physical body lying in the bed. "Who is that patient?"

The girl looked over to who it was he was pointing to and intently stared at the sleeping boy. "This patient here?" She tried to think back to if she had ever seen him there before. "They were just brought in. They weren't here a few days ago. Are you worried about them?" She blinked when there was something strange about the patient's appearance. "Eh?" She looked between Takumi and the patient. "You two look exactly alike! Do you have a twin perhaps?"

Takumi truthfully shook his head. "N-no…" he sadly replied with closed eyes. _That's about as much as I expected as a response._ He took a deep breath before returning his gaze on the girl.

She pensively stared at Takumi's physical body. "Hmm. I see. That's… quite the coincidental resemblance then."

"I guess…" Takumi wryly responded. "Next question… What happens if you contract EDEN Syndrome?"

"What happens?" the girl frowned as she looked around them. "Well, as you can see, patients with EDEN Syndrome all fall in a coma. I've heard of no other symptoms. Do you know someone who's shown others?"

Takumi stared at his own body before shaking his head. "Not really…" He cleared his throat before asking one last question. "Is there a cure for EDEN Syndrome?"

"I've never heard of anyone recovering from it," she replied. A sad expression washed over her face as her gaze lowered to the ground. "Someone I know has been stuck in a deep sleep… for a full either years now." Takumi noticed her left hand tighten into a fist. "I'm sure he'll be fine. Someday he's sure to wake up. For now, all I can do is wait."

 _Maybe I brought up something I shouldn't have…_ Takumi sadly thought to himself as the urge to cry returned to him once more. He shook himself from those thoughts though. Now wasn't the time for him to be distracted by such things. "There are rumors that Kamishiro is involved in some kind of conspiracy…" he began.

The girl tensed up and glared at him. "That's a… misunderstanding! A mistake! Kamishiro wants to find a cure for EDEN Syndrome, too!" Takumi caught the hints of desperation leak into her voice. "That was why they built this special ward and have specialists working around the clock looking for a cure. It's ridiculous that anyone should suffer because of EDEN!" she frowned to herself. "I've… I've got to do something!"

Takumi blinked at how agitated she became. "S-sorry if I said things that upset you… But I think I unders—" he was interrupted when his Digivice began to ring. Sensing it was urgent, he quickly answered. "Aiba Takumi here."

"I apologize for interrupting such an important conversation," Kyoko told him, "but you have an uninvited guest." Her warning quickly prompted Takumi to look past the raven-haired girl.

"Is someone there?" he asked with a frown.

The girl turned to face the entrance to the ward and the two teens managed to hear snippets of a woman flirting with the security guards outside. "Hello, guards! Thanks for working so hard! Ooh! Another hottie!"

"Rie-san?" the girl gasped in surprise. "I wasn't expecting you today!"

"Who is she?" Takumi asked the girl as a chill ran down his spine when the woman began speaking again.

"Check out the bulging pecs on this guard! One look and my heart is all aflutter! Oh! I can't resist! Poke, poke. Poke!"

"Kishibe-sama!" Takumi heard the guard outside nervously try to resist the woman's advances. "I'm on duty!"

"Ooh! So hard!"

Takumi groaned as he returned his attention to his Digivice. "Kyoko-san…!" he hissed. "What do I do!?"

Kyoko remained calm though as she considered the situation. "Kishibe Rie… Making the rounds behind the scenes? I'm curious what a Kamishiro bigwig is doing here." She shook her head as that was a question that would have to wait. "We got the information we needed. Now get out of there," she instructed him. "No need to overstay your welcome." She looked away from the screen. "Oops! I've got a visitor as well." She urgently looked back at Takumi with a smirk. "Let's meet in the lobby, then. Don't rush and don't make a fuss!"

"Easy for you to say," Takumi wryly chuckled as they both terminated the call. He looked around the ward in a panic before the raven-haired girl grabbed his arm.

"Hide! Quickly!" she told him before pushing him into the command room.

"Right!" he nodded to her. "Thanks!"

The girl was a bit surprised by his gratitude but she didn't have too much time to focus on that. As soon as the blue-eyed boy was safe behind the command room doors, the entrance doors began to open. The girl turned to face the green-haired woman coming towards her.

"Oh, Yuuko-chan," Kishibe greeted her with a smile. "You're well, I trust?"

"Rie-san," Yuuko knit her eyebrows together. "Did something happen today? I don't recall seeing your name on the approved visitors' list."

The woman giggled. "No, I'm not! But maaaybe I was just struck with a sudden urge to see my dear, darling Yuuko-chan!"

"Are you worried about me being all by myself?" Yuuko frowned.

"Mm… My Rie-chan Sense was tingling and I had to come see if you were being a gloomy Gus again," she said, placing her right index finger on her lower lip. She studied Yuuko's downcast expression and smirked. "I knew it! This is all so terrible, isn't it?"

"Not particularly," Yuuko responded, lowering her gaze to the ground.

Kishibe giggled at the teen's façade. "Look at you, acting all strong. But I know." Her grin grew wider as she stepped closer to Yuuko. "Onee-chan knows all about it!"

Within the command room, Takumi nervously had his back pressed against the door. He didn't mean to eavesdrop, but the situation was completely unavoidable. They were right outside, for crying out loud. The redhead grit his teeth as this was an extremely uncomfortable situation for him to be in but there was nothing else he could do. _Come on! Think! If there was ever a time I needed for my thoughts to run wild, now would be it!_ He shivered as Kishibe's giggling sounded a lot closer than it did before.

"By the wayyyy! What HAVE you been doing here?" Kishibe asked Yuuko.

"Eh… Nothing…" Yuuko shook her head. "Nothing special."

"A picnic of sorts?"

"Yes!" Yuuko nodded before shaking her head again. "I mean, no… It's not…" She bit her lower lip as she found herself tongue-tied.

"Hmm?" Kishibe smiled at the girl. "Yuuko-chan, is something the matter?" When the teen didn't answer, the woman put her hands together. "No? Is there perhaps someone else here? Perhaps… a boyyyfriend?"

Yuuko snapped her head up. "No! It's nothing like that!"

"Or maybe it's a girlfriend?" Kishibe giggled at how flustered the teen was. "Shall I have a little look around?" She lifted her gaze towards the command room doors. "Doing something unscrupulous in that room? Or better yet, something scandalous!" She giggled.

Yuuko's breath hitched in her throat. "Ah!"

Takumi heard footsteps coming closer as his blue eyes darted back and forth across the room. He spotted the computer he was using earlier and it suddenly occurred to him he had an exit available all along. Without another thought, he quickly ran to the desk.

Kishibe paused right in front the doors, relishing the amount of panic that was beginning to fill Yuuko's face. "Now, now," the woman called out to whoever might be in the room. "I've you all figured out. You can come out now, Yuuko-chan's lover-san! My name is Rie-onee-sama, and I am tasked with being Yuuko's guardian here." She giggled to herself and put on a wide grin. "Holding hands or locking lips? Guiding each other step by step towards adulthood!" The woman opened the door and looked around the empty room. "Well, drat! There's nobody here!" she whined. She shrugged it off before turning back to the slightly confused but very relieved raven-haired girl behind her. "But Yuuko-chan, it doesn't matter. You can bring one or two boyfriends, or even three dozen of them, if you'd like. Why, when I was your age…" she giggled as it probably wasn't a proper story to be telling to the poor girl. "Now, then. Let's check in and see how he's doing. Don't you think he'll be happy to see the two of us, together?"

Yuuko blinked as she realized Kishibe had been speaking to her. "Um, sure…" She frowned a bit as the woman walked past her. She curiously looked into the command room once more but found no sign of Takumi. "Where did he…?" She shook her head as it didn't really matter so long as he managed to get out safely.

* * *

Kyoko greeted Takumi with a proud smirk as soon as he came out of the elevator, relatively unscathed. "You escaped that predicament all on your own," she chuckled. "See, I knew you could do it!"

Takumi flashed her a smirk. "It was an ordeal, but I guess I did make it out alive in the end with my innocence intact."

The detective shook her head at his joke. "Now, then, shall we head back?"

* * *

Kyoko sympathetically frowned as Takumi finished his detailed report of what happened. "I can't imagine what the shock of seeing your own body from the outside is like," she shook her head. "If we think of it like an out-of-body experience, maybe we can find a solution."

"Do you really think so?" Takumi asked with a worried frown.

The detective nodded. "You're the first EDEN Syndrome patient to exhibit these particular symptoms—the first 'irregular' amongst them."

"Irregular?" The redhead frowned as he remembered Yuugo had used that term to describe him before.

Kyoko smiled. "Simply knowing that is a major step in getting to the bottom of this. We can't rush the investigation," she sternly crossed her arms. "We mustn't hurry things along. Stay cool. Stay calm." She looked up at the calligraphy framed above the window behind her, directing Takumi's attention to it as she did so. "Doggedly and with all your might, exhibit endurance like hard black iron," Kyoko nodded before looking back towards Takumi. "My father used to say that all the time," she fondly recalled. She blinked at the teen when she noticed he was fixated by the agency's motto.

"Doggedly and with all our might, exhibit endurance like hard black iron," Takumi seriously repeated as he engraved the quote into his memory.

The detective smiled at his earnestness. "But back to the issue at hand," she stated, recapturing his attention. "What are you planning to do next?"

The blue-eyed boy's face slightly scrunched up in pain before he settled on a sad frown. He brought his hand up to his chin as he truly considered his next move. "I… don't really know…"

"Don't you want to return to your original body?" Kyoko asked him. "Don't you want to know the truth of what happened?"

"I do but…" He glanced up towards her in surprise. "Are you really asking me to be your assistant?" he tentatively asked back. Takumi noticed she was serious about her offer so he gave her a determined nod. "If that's the case, then I accept."

"Hmph," the detective crossed her arms and wore a satisfied smirk. "Then it's decided. You should work here, as my assistant."

"Just like that!?" Takumi blinked at her.

"There'll be many cases dealing with EDEN and cyber crime. The more work you do, the more clues we'll be able to find. Don't worry," she reassured him. "I'm certain of your potential. And while you're at it, I'll cover your room and board," she chuckled. The woman smiled at him and nodded. "Besides, with your talents, who else is better suited for a cyber-investigation? I'm expecting great things!"

"Understood," he stated with a nod.

"Excellent!" Kyoko smiled back. "We have an agreement. From this point forward, you are my assistant Cyber Sleuth." She nodded her head towards the sofa she usually sat at. "Hmm. Have a seat on the sofa and wait. I'll make some coffee. We'll drink a toast to celebrate!" She got up from her seat and quickly prepared a cup.

When it was finally presented to Takumi, the redhead frowned at the swirl of green and pinkish purple sludge drowning in the mud-colored liquid. _Ah… Didn't Detective Matayoshi warn me about this?_ "H-hey, Kyoko-san… What did you put in here?"

"Seaweed and red bean paste coffee," Kyoko said as she took a sip from her own cup. "My specialty."

"E-eh!?" his blue eyes widened as the woman seemed to be enjoying her strange blend. "S-s-specialty…?"

"Oh, I know it looks all fancy," she nodded, "but wait until you get a load of the flavor and aroma!" She raised her cup into the air. "Here's to you, Cyber Sleuth!"

"Y-yeah…!" Takumi raised his cup too before hesitantly leveling it in front of his face. He stared at it for a few seconds before deciding it was probably best if he downed the drink as quickly as he could. He attempted to gulp it down but the strange texture on top of the awful taste caused him to gag. Still, he forced his body to accept the concoction. "That wasn't so… bad…" he nervously tried to convince himself with a laugh before passing out from what Kyoko believed to be the day's excitement.

"Hmm…" the detective smiled at her new assistant's zeal. "He's a lot tougher than I thought. To become a hacker, obtain three Digimon without the Digimon Capture, lose his body, infiltrate a hospital, and become my assistant all… It's quite remarkable that you've accepted _and_ adapted to the situation in just a span of a few days. Aiba Takumi… You truly are an 'irregular', even amongst irregulars."

* * *

 **Final Notes:** So... Matayoshi's first name was never really given in the game. It was in the credits though, not that anyone would call him by 'Gorou'... Writing Takumi's personality was a bit difficult for me since I'm so used to writing for characters like Minato... Heck, even Hamuko was a bit difficult, but at least with her, I consistently just made it so she loved teasing her brother and friends while harboring a strong affinity to helping others smile. For Takumi, he mimes everything in the game and his reactions make him seem like the only sane person, but then you have his voiced thoughts and dialogue options which make him completely random and silly. In general, I try to have Takumi to be extremely upbeat, taking everything in stride with a simple smile on his face. He's probably also a genius, but he doesn't tend to come off that way because he's too busy with keeping up with the insanity of his friends around him.


	3. Search for the Father: Yamashina Yuuko

**Author's Notes:** An early chapter today because I'm up waiting for my sister's school bus to come pick her up. Anyway, I decided to split each chapter by how it is in the game and by case sidequests. In between main chapters, sometimes there's a period where nothing progresses until you do certain story related cases. All sidequests are color-coded in the game and I decided to cover just the red story-related ones and the purple DLC ones. While I do like some of the blue/yellow ones, namely because some are very heartwarming, they really have no bearing on the main story so I omitted them. So yeah, enjoy Takumi's first case: Top Quality Beans.

* * *

Takumi took a deep breath before entering the Kuremi Detective Agency for his first day of work. He opened the door to the messy office and saw that Kyoko was already sitting at her desk. Her eyes flickered towards him before returning to her monitor.

"So you're finally here," she nodded to him.

"Yeah," the teen nodded. "I'm ready for my first case."

"Then let's get down to it," Kyoko crossed her arms. "I have something for you."

"What is it?" Takumi approached Kyoko's desk in anticipation.

"Your first duty to kick off your new career as a Cyber Sleuth," she smirked. "If Nakano is going to be your base of operations, you should make the rounds and introduce yourself at the various establishments here."

"That… doesn't sound very interesting…" Takumi's face fell in slight disappointment.

"Not so," Kyoko shook her head at him. "You'll be depending on these places a lot, so it's important they know who you are."

The redhead took a moment to consider her point before nodding. "Alright, I understand."

Satisfied he wasn't going to make too much of a fuss over his simple first task, Kyoko looked around her office. "Hmm…" She quickly spotted the whiteboard hanging on the back wall. "Oh yeah. Let me explain about the whiteboard. Hanging on the wall to the right of my desk is a whiteboard. You see it?"

Takumi turned his head to the board and nodded. "What about it?"

"You can accept cases from there," she told him. "Field practice is better than book learning," she stated with a nod. "I'll put some simple cases up on the whiteboard. Check it out and start working on some cases."

"Okay then," he obediently walked up to it and noticed Kyoko had already posted up a case for him. He pushed aside the red magnet and examined the note.

 _Client: Kuremi Kyoko_

 _Place: Kuremi Detective Agency_

 _Details: Purchase coffee beans at K-Café. You can find the place yourself. Make sure you say hello to everyone._

Takumi blinked at the task. "You really had to make this a 'case'?" he asked her with a crooked smile on his face. "What's the point of posting this up here?"

"Seems like you accepted it though," Kyoko smirked at him. "It's pretty straightforward. When you want to take on a new case, get one from the whiteboard, just like that. I'll add new cases every so often, so make sure to check it from time to time." She watched as Takumi prepared a folder for his first case. "Anyway, go on and start talking to people. I'm counting on you for my case, too." She sternly looked him in the eye. "It's very important for you to obtain those coffee beans."

"Alright," Takumi nervously chuckled. "I feel like an errand boy rather than a detective's assistant though."

"Think of this as a test," she shrugged. "I might be your client, but don't think that means you can slack off."

"I'm off then," the teen waved to her as he left the office. He started down the hall, but paused when he spotted a purple-haired woman waiting for him. "Eh? Mirei-san…"

"Good day, Cyber Sleuth," she greeted him.

Takumi stared at the store behind her and noticed it was a consultation booth. "Eh!? Don't tell me you work here too!?"

She chuckled at his observation. "I thought it was about time you came by. Won't you come inside my little shop? There's something I have to do for you."

"What is it?" the boy asked.

She impatiently pushed up her glasses. "We are bound by fate to do this. Hurry, please." She quickly grabbed his arm and dragged him into the store.

"W-wait…! What are you…?"

"Okay then. Stick out your right hand," Mirei directed him. "It'll be over soon. Hold still." Takumi frowned as he felt a tingling sensation spread from his hand to the rest of his body. "Next is… the other thing," the woman continued. "Turn around. Don't move… Leave it all to me." After a few more uncomfortable shocks, Mirei pushed him out of the booth. "All done!"

Takumi stared at his outstretched arm and blinked at his glove. "So… what exactly did you do?"

"I installed a special program into your cyber form, adding certain features," Mirei proudly explained. "You can now scan physical things with your right glove and capture cyber data of the target. In other words, once things from the real world are in your hand, they can become cyber data and be brought into cyberspace with you."

The boy's blue eyes widened in amazement. "Is that really possible!?" He lowered his arm and stared at the strange, but incredible lady.

She simply nodded to him. "Acquired data will be kept in your storage. Such a convenient world we live in today, don't you think?" she asked with a smirk. "Modern technology and whatnot."

Takumi placed his hands on his hips and shook his head at her. "This isn't just any technology!" he cried.

"You shouldn't be surprised by such things," Mirei frowned at him. "Your body will continue to…" she quickly stopped herself with a shake of her head. "No, it's better if you don't know what the future holds. All should be as fate directs."

"Fate, huh?" Takumi frowned at his strange body. Even if it has been a few days, he still wasn't quite used to it. "I wonder what lies ahead of me…"

"If you lose your way, come and see me," Mirei told him with an encouraging smile. "I shall be happy to point you in the right direction, to the best of my ability. Use a Connect Jump to come directly to the DigiLab from wherever you might be."

"Thanks," Takumi gratefully smiled, "I suppose…"

Mirei suddenly became serious as she pushed up her glasses to consider something. "The border between this world and the digital world is growing thinner and thinner," she mused. "The proof of that lies in the fact that I was able to meet you in the real world." Takumi knit his eyebrows together but remained silent. "But that might not be a good thing as far as the world is concerned. This is likely the harbinger of far worse things to come." Mirei looked over to Takumi once more and gave him a small smile. "Meeting with you assures me of the light of hope that will shine for this world." She chuckled to herself. "I wonder if I will enjoy this new world. Until we meet again in the DigiLab!"

"Until then…" Takumi waved to her as she went back inside. "I guess…" He was about to start off on the rest of his tour of Nakano Broadway when he noticed his Digivice had a new message for him. He blinked a few times before opening it up and saw Mirei had also sent him two Digimon. "Agumon (Black) and Gabumon (Black)?" Curious, Takumi read her attached note.

 _"As I told you before, your bonds with your Digimon will be a measure of your strength. These two are from difficult breeds, but if raised well, even they might come to your aid when you need them most. I look forward to see who else becomes entangled by your thread of fate."_

* * *

After completing his introductory tour of the first floor, Takumi stepped out of the elevator and onto the second floor. He looked towards the hall to his right and spotted a CD shop. "Oh, cool! A music store!" He started towards it to greet the workers inside before he heard a girl's voice behind him.

"Huh? Oh, hey!"

Takumi turned around to see who it was and blinked when he spotted a familiar face. "Ah! Nokia!" he greeted his friend with a relieved smile. _So she's okay after all!_

"You're safe! That's great…" Nokia smiled back at him. "Well, I assumed so," she nodded. "After what happened in the digital world, you should be fine in the real one. But are those little critters okay, I wonder?"

"Critters…?" Takumi tilted his head to the side before he remembered there had been other Digimon in Cron that day. Before he could say anything though, Nokia freaked out.

"No way! You don't remember? You insensitive clod!" Nokia shook her head at him. "The Digimon that protected me!" She frowned to herself. "I'm a little worried. Had they not been around, it would have been…" She sighed. "Well… I've got this problem and I've had it since I was a kid. When things get serious, I always get frightened. It's like my mind goes blank and I freeze up. That must have sucked for you. I'm really sorry."

Takumi shook his head. "It's alright. I was scared then too," he gave her a reassuring smile. "But thanks to the Digimon, we're okay." _Well… more or less okay,_ he mentally thought as he fidgeted with his glove.

Nokia curiously stared at the redhead. "Hey, are you out shopping right now?"

"Nope," Takumi shook his head. "I just recently got a job as a Cyber Sleuth so I'm actually working right now."

"Wow, you're a Cyber Sleuth?" Nokia stared at him in amazement. "That's great! A Cyber Sleuth? Really?" She blinked a few times. "A Cyber Sleuth…" A sudden look of confusion appeared on her face. "What is that exactly? What's a Cyber Sleuth?" She knit her eyebrows together as she stared at Takumi. "It's no skin off my nose! I don't know if it's good or bad. I totally gave up on figuring it out. It's probably better than being a hacker!" she shrugged. Suddenly she began yelling. "That said, I'm a hacker!"

"Well, you do have the Digimon Capture program," Takumi stated with a chuckle. "Just like me and Arata…"

At the mention of the older boy, Nokia shook her head. "Arata! He was a hacker! He helped us out, but he was a total hacker!" She frowned at that thought. "That's a little depressing, knowing I was lied to this whole time. I haven't seen him since. Ugh! This is the pits."

"It's not that bad," the boy tried to console her.

"It's times like these I want to throw on the new Jimiken single," Nokia nodded. "Get my freak on."

"Jimiken…?" Takumi winced when the girl began singing.

"La la la laaaa~! The saaad hummingbiiird~!"

Takumi covered his ears. "What is that?"

"Hm?" Nokia blinked at him. "That's the newest hit Jimiken single! You should pick it up!"

The detective's assistant nervously chuckled. "Maybe another time… I still have a job to do after all."

The girl pouted a bit but decided to leave it be since he seemed to be busy. "Well, alright. Later, Cyber Sleuth!" she waved to him as he left the store.

* * *

As soon as Takumi stepped into K-Café he was hit by the strong scent of coffee. "Welcome!" the man behind the counter called out to him.

Takumi smiled as he maneuvered through the empty café. "Yup, this is definitely the place," he nodded.

A girl with blonde hair at the side of the counter greeted him too with a curtsy. "Welcome! Please come in! Take any open seat!"

"Ah, thank you, but I'm here to pick up some coffee beans for Kyoko-san," Takumi explained. "I'm her new assistant, Aiba Takumi."

The man blinked at him in surprise. "You're Kuremi-san's assistant? She hired an assistant?" He eyed the young boy enviously. "Wow. So you get to bask in her radiant beauty to your heart's content whenever you want, huh?" He shook his head as he looked around the counter for the coffee beans. "I'm so jealous! It's outrageous! Truly outrageous!"

"Boss?" The girl looked to the owner in surprise.

The owner turned to her. "Yes? What is it, Sacchan?"

"You don't look at me like that, do you?" she frowned, staring down at her cat-eared maid uniform.

"What?" the man was taken aback.

"Oh, you creep!" Sacchan glared at him. "You total perv! I quit! Right here and now!"

"What? What!?" the man shook his head.

"And I'm taking full payment for this month's salary," the girl crossed her arms. "Plus I'll be billing you for 20 months of leering. You're paying me psychological damages!"

"Uh…" Takumi frowned as he looked around the empty establishment. "If now is a bad time I can come back later…"

Sacchan looked over to Takumi and blinked at him. "Oh, our customer! You wanted some coffee beans, right?" She reached into the basket she was carrying and handed him a bag. "These are the coffee beans Kyoko-san always buys. Here you are!"

"Thank you very much!" Takumi nodded as he accepted them. He took his time to pull out his wallet and watched as the owner begged his employee to stay.

"Hang on, Sacchan! Quitting out of the blue like that kinda puts me in a bind!"

"Does it now?" Sacchan frowned at him. "Well then, shall be negotiate, boss?"

"Negotiate? F-for what?"

"For what?" The girl shook her head. "Why, for my hourly rate, of course! If you're going to play stupid, I'll sue! We're talking a harassment lawsuit here!"

"Yikes!"

During the negotiation, Takumi slipped the money onto the counter and managed to get to the door. Still, he watched for a while longer before chuckling to himself. "They make quite the pair," he muttered. "Be that as it may… I've got the beans Kyoko-san asked for."

As he opened the door to leave, Sacchan called out to him. "Thank you very much! Come back any time!"

"Thanks again!" Takumi nodded to her. As soon as he was outside, he closed his eyes to figure out his next move. "That should be enough saying hi. I should get back to the office."

* * *

"I'm home!" Takumi jokingly called out as he returned to the agency.

"Welcome home," Kyoko looked up from her monitor and smirked at him. "Looks like you've cracked the case. But you shouldn't bother me with it," she shook her head. "When you complete a case, note it down on the whiteboard."

"Alright," Takumi nodded as he finished up filling out the case report. He quickly put away the coffee beans in the office's kitchen before noticing Kyoko already finished reading his report, not that he wrote much to begin with. She was patiently waiting for him now and he quickly stood in front of her desk. "What's next?"

"It seems you've made your rounds," she satisfactorily stated. "They're quite a bunch of characters, but that's what it takes to survive in Nakano. Next, I'm going to have you hit the streets."

"Alright!" Takumi eagerly exclaimed.

"I want to see how well your digital self can blend in, in the real world. The final stage of your testing," she nodded. "Go around Shinjuku asking questions. You might find yourself the topic of rumors. People saw you looking like that, after all."

"Well, it has been a while," Takumi crossed his arms. "I doubt anybody would figure out that it was me on the streets that day." He curiously tried to get a peek of what was on Kyoko's computer. "But what about you?"

"While you're doing that, I'll clean up my affairs," she smiled as she turned the monitor to the side so he couldn't look. "I've got to make a report of my investigation to Detective Matayoshi."

"Eh…? Even you have to make reports to someone?" Takumi raised an eyebrow at her. "Alright then."

"And I forgot one important thing," Kyoko stated, bringing her hand to her mouth.

"What is it?" he asked, tilting his head to the side.

"It's about your mother," she sternly said.

"My mom?" Takumi blinked in surprise.

"It was a blessing in disguise that she was working abroad for so long," she crossed her arms. "She was going to come back when she heard you were sick, but I told her you were released from the hospital at the last minute."

"She… actually said she would have come back…?" Takumi asked. "That's… surprising…" He frowned to himself as his mother usually trusted him to be able to take care of himself. _She's so overworked that I always try to avoid adding onto her worries… Mom knows better than to be concerned about me though, so why would she offer to…?_ "Does she know I have EDEN Syndrome?" the boy asked.

Kyoko shook her head as she didn't know the exact details of what his mother knew. "You should contact her and reassure her you're okay," she told him.

"R-right!" he nodded as he began fidgeting with his Digivice.

* * *

"So how was your parent doing?" Kyoko asked as soon as the boy ended the call.

"It's the same as always," Takumi frowned. "She's super busy with work so it didn't really matter that I couldn't visit her as was originally planned. Still," he crossed his arms, "I'm a bit worried about her… She'd freak out if she discovers that my actual body is still in the hospital…"

"Hmm, it seems like there are no problems," the detective noted. "It's good that you put her at ease. She'll probably call again."

"Yeah…" the boy sighed. "I suppose I'll have to keep it a secret that I have EDEN Syndrome."

Kyoko nodded in agreement. "I'll leave your parent to you. Handle her well. That's your duty as her child."

"I know…" the boy knit his eyebrows together. _Even though Mom's never home, she's working hard to support the two of us where she is now. I know it's difficult for us to be alone but…_ "I have to do my best too!"

"Speaking of duty," the detective gently smiled at him, "it calls! Head to Shinjuku. We may not know everything, but getting out there and taking action is key. Don't think too hard; just keep moving forward."

"Right," Takumi straightened up. "Well, I'm off!"

* * *

Takumi stepped out of the station and took a good look at the area before he spotted a tall boy with black hair. The redhead quickly called out to him with a gin on his face. "Arata!"

The older boy turned around and his eyes widened in surprise and relief. "Takumi! You're all right!"

"For the most part, yeah," the detective's assistant nodded. "How about you?"

"What, me?" the older boy smirked at him. "I'm fine as well, as you can see. If anyone was gonna be looking for trouble, I'm guess it'd be Nokia," he joked. "You can either peg her for a chicken or toughie, but she gets what's coming to her."

"Eh…?" Takumi nervously chuckled. "She was worried about you too, you know. I saw her earlier today at Nakano Broadway."

Arata nodded in relief to know she was safe, but he crossed his arms and frowned. "But still, that monster… That's the first time I've seen it. I'd heard rumors of some nasty program, preying on data. Then I asked the admins about it, but they insisted they knew nothing. Don't you think that's a little strange?" he asked. "The admins should have noticed something like that."

"Are you referring to the admins from Kamishiro?" Takumi frowned.

The older boy nodded. "Something bothers me about all this. I've half a mind to look into things properly."

"So do I…" the detective's assistant crossed his arms.

"At the very least," Arata shrugged, "this doesn't seem to be an official event or a prank by some third-rate hacker either."

"Ah, Arata, that reminds me," Takumi studied the older boy. "Aren't you a hacker too? Even before you got the Digimon Capture program?"

"Huh?" the older boy didn't think Takumi would pick up on that. "You say I'm a hacker too?" He sheepishly chuckled and shook his head. "Well, what can I say about that? It is what it is."

"You're really not going to say anymore on that subject, are you?" Takumi crookedly smirked.

Arata quickly turned away from him. "Oh! I just remembered I've got an appointment to keep. I've gotta be off."

"Of course," the redhead chuckled. "It was good seeing you, Arata."

The raven-haired boy flashed him a smirk and nodded. "I'll see you later."

Takumi watched him head down to the station for a while. He closed his eyes and frowned to himself. "So Kamishiro Enterprise is keeping that monster a secret too… Could it be related to EDEN Syndrome?" He opened his eyes and sighed. "It must be considering the state I'm in… I'd better remember to bring this up with Kyoko-san later."

He headed over towards the crosswalk and waited for the light to turn green. When he reached the other side, he spotted two teenagers wearing light grey high school uniforms and yellow ties. Takumi blinked when he realized they were his friends from his homeroom.

"Ryota! Sakura!" he called out to them.

The boy with light brown hair turned around and blinked at the sight of the blue-eyed teen. "Huh? Huh? HUUUH!? What are you doing around here?" he asked in surprise. "I thought you went to your mom's place. It was overseas! Gah, what country was it?" Ryota looked over to the girl beside him. "Hey, Sakura, where was it again?"

The girl blankly stared back at him and tilted her head to the side. "What? Oh, yeah…" She frowned and knit her eyebrows together as she answered. "Um… Gunma?"

Ryota frantically shook his head. "Bah! That's totally wrong! That's not a foreign country! It's a part of Japan!"

Sakura slowly nodded. "Oh, yeah… That's right…"

"Hey, are you okay?" Takumi asked her in slight worry. "You seem a bit… out of it…"

"Jeez!" Ryota sighed. "She's been like this a lot lately. She's all into Jimiken, it seems."

"Jimiken…?" Takumi crossed his arms. _Isn't that the singer Nokia was talking about earlier?_

His friend shrugged his shoulders. "First it's all 'Jimiken this' and 'Jimiken that' twenty-four seven and now it's this." He frowned at Sakura in concern. "She stays at home watching his videos all day long. I'm gettin' kinda worried, y'know."

"I see…" Takumi brought a hand up to his mouth.

"But anyhow," Ryota cast his frown onto Takumi. "You! What are you doing here instead of being overseas?"

"Huh? Me?" Takumi flashed his friend a smile. "I just got myself a job as a Cyber Sleuth."

"A 'Cyber Sleuth'? What the hell is that?" the brunet asked. "That sounds mad sick, Cyber Sleuth." He turned towards Sakura with a humorous smirk. "Did you hear that, Sakura? Takumi's a Cyber Sleuth!" He paused when the girl blankly stared off into space.

Takumi tilted his head to the side. "How long has she been wearing those earbuds?" he asked.

Ryota groaned and waved his hand in front of her face. "Hey, I'm talking to you!" Sakura still didn't hear him so Ryota pulled out one of the speakers to whisper something into her ear.

Takumi tried to crane his neck to listen in on what he was trying to say, but couldn't make it out. All he knew was that it resulted in Sakura punching their friend in the gut. The redhead sympathetically winced. "Ryota…!"

The brunet groaned. "I thought I could get through to her, but…" He shook his head and looked over towards Takumi. "But have you heard of Jimiken?"

"Is that a singer?" Takumi asked.

"It's a band!" Ryota corrected him. "A rock group. Jimi's super hot right now, but I legit don't get why," he shook his head.

"You don't like their music?"

"Well, the songs aren't half bad sometimes," he shrugged.

"If I have time, I'll probably check it out," Takumi said, a bit curious as to what the hype was about. "That said though, I have work to focus on first… "

Ryota nodded in understanding. "So, you're a Cyber Sleuth and can skip school whenever you want now?" The brunet placed his right fist over his heart and lowered his gaze. "We even held a farewell party for you back then. I cried for you for reals, man."

"Yeah, I remember…" Takumi smiled.

"But I guess we still get to see each other after all!" Ryota smirked. "Right, Sakura?"

"Yeah," she nodded.

Ryota lightly laughed and crossed his arms. "That's what I'm talkin' about!"

"I guess everything worked out then!" Takumi grinned. He checked the time and shook his head. "I should go. It's about time for me to report back to my boss. I'll catch you two around! If you're ever around Nakano Broadway, come visit me at the office sometime!"

* * *

"Hmm," Kyoko crossed her arms and smirked. "The folks who saw you earlier didn't seem to make much of big deal about it."

"That's right," Takumi nodded. "Out of the all the rumors I managed to gather, the most widespread is the one about my sudden appearance all being a staged guerilla film shooting, complete with a car chase scene."

The detective raised her eyebrow at this. "If that's so, you'll be fine walking the streets."

"Yup!" Takumi smiled.

"By the way," Kyoko frowned. "Not to change the subject, but I've readied a new EDEN account for you."

"Huh? Why?" the redhead asked. "What's wrong with my old one?"

"Your existing account isn't being recognized properly on the EDEN Network," she explained. "As a result, you can't log in normally. You can 'invade' a service using a Connect Jump, but with an invalid account, you won't be able to do much. That would hinder your work, so from now on, log in with the new account I got for you."

"Sure thing," Takumi nodded. "Is there anything else?"

"Well," Kyoko glanced at the wall clock. "It's almost time."

Takumi curiously tilted his head to the side. _It's probably an appointment but…_ "Is it snack time?" he asked with a wide grin.

Kyoko blinked at him in surprise before smirking at him. "I see… You're looking forward to my coffee."

"Eh!?" the teen tensed up at how poorly his joke turned on him.

"I hate to make you wait for it," the woman brushed her hair aside, "but let's have our coffee break later. It's time for work, my dear assistant," she nodded. Her eyes went toward the agency's entrance and a soft voice began to speak to them through the door.

"Um… Is this the Kuremi Detective Agency?" the girl asked from outside.

Takumi blinked as he recognized that voice from somewhere. He dismissed that thought though as he walked over to the door to open it for their client.

"Right on time!" Kyoko smirked. "She seems like she'll be an excellent client." She nodded to her assistant to let her in. "Please, come in."

"Thank you," Yuuko nodded as she entered, but she paused when she saw Takumi holding the door open for her.

"Welcome to the Kuremi Detective—Ah…!" he stared at her with surprised blue eyes. _The girl from the hospital…_

"It's you!" Yuuko returned his startled expression with one of her own.

"What's this?" Kyoko looked between the two teenagers. "You two know each other?"

"I wouldn't put it that way," Yuuko shook her head.

"Yeah… it's not that we know each other," Takumi said, casting his eyes away from the girl. "It's more like… we're acquainted with each other… And even then… it's probably not really that..." he frowned to himself as he had no way to clearly explain it.

Yuuko knit her eyebrows together but remained silent as she neither agreed nor disagreed with the teen's words.

"Hmm..." Kyoko looked between the two teenagers before shrugging it off. "Well, regardless, you are Yamashina Yuuko, my new client?" she asked the raven-haired girl.

"Yamashina…?" Takumi blinked. _And here I thought she was Kamishiro…_

"Yes," Yuuko nodded. "I am Yamashina Yuuko."

"Let me inquire, then, into the details of the case," Kyoko professionally stated. "Please be seated on that sofa there."

"Yes," the girl nodded as she did as asked.

Takumi closed the door and stood at his usual position as Kyoko sat on the sofa opposite of Yuuko. He remained silent as the girl began to explain the details of her case.

"My… my father… has disappeared," she began.

"Disappeared?" Kyoko asked, bringing her hand up to her mouth.

"He's gone missing," Yuuko nodded. "I'd like to ask a detective to seek out and find my missing father, Yamashina Makoto."

"Hmm… Do you have any info on your father?"

"Yes," Yuuko raised her left hand and Takumi watched as she fidgeted with the goggles strapped to her arm. "The basic information is all here. I'll send you the data." There was a light blip, indicating the files were successfully sent. "But the only possible clue I have would be the EDEN account info he used. When you query the account info, it says it's still currently active, but…"

"There's no response when you call?" Kyoko guessed.

"None whatsoever," Yuuko shook her head. She paused for a moment and frowned. "Please find my father," she requested of them.

"I understand," the blonde detective nodded. "We'll take the case on."

"I…!" Yuuko seemed a bit surprised that it was so easily accepted, but she gratefully bowed her head. "Thank you very much."

"Well then, let's get started!" Kyoko stated. "I'll let you know if there are any developments. Would you mind giving me your contact information?"

Takumi narrowed his eyes when Yuuko shrunk back a little. The girl shook her head as she answered. "No… That won't be necessary. I'll come by again in a little while."

Takumi brought his hand up to his mouth and closed his eyes. _Just what is she hiding?_

"I must be going," Yuuko said as she stood up. "Pardon me."

When their client was gone, Kyoko brought her hand up to her mouth. "I see…"

Her assistant opened his eyes. "What is it, Kyoko-san?"

The woman returned to her desk and ran a search on the data Yuuko sent them. "Yamashina-san's account info checks out. And my conclusion is this: I believe that someone has hacked this account."

"Is the solution really that simple?" Takumi asked, crossing his arms.

Kyoko nodded and showed him the related evidence. "There are numerous strange points of activity that I can see with the account and multiple Yamashina Makoto roaming EDEN. It's got to be the result of an account raid. Everyone's been clamoring about that sort of thing recently."

"An account raid…?" Takumi frowned. "I see…"

"I want you to start by tracking down the active traces of the Yamashina account," Kyoko directed him. "Account hacking is sometimes connected to organized crime. Take your investigation to EDEN and ask questions. We might get some info on these account raids."

"Understood," the assistant nodded.

"You're up, my dear Watson!" Kyoko chuckled. "Proceed to EDEN and start asking around." She frowned as she decided to investigate something else on her computer. "Account raiding is starting to be a real problem. I don't know much about getting Yamashina Makoto's information, but… look into that as well, would you? Go on, log into EDEN."

* * *

Takumi's investigation around EDEN led him to discover that Zaxon may have been involved with the recent account raids throughout the network. This made the investigator frown though as he remembered Team Zaxon was the hacker group Yuugo had been a part of. Still, if he wanted to learn more about it, he would have to ask an actual hacker of Cron for details.

His search of Galacta Park led him to an ex-member of Zaxon and Takumi managed to get a URL to Zaxon's forum room. The link took him directly to the hacking team's headquarters and Takumi was surprised to find so many hackers congregated into one area. Still, it seems as though the attitude of Zaxon was a bit more diverse than he had previously thought.

While it was undisputed that Yuugo was the apparent leader, Takumi didn't think the powerful hacker's idea of 'order' in EDEN meant account raiding. Yet, a part of Zaxon seemed to be engaging in the 'chaotic' criminal activity. This coupled with the fact that new hackers were apparently cropping up all over EDEN, it was no wonder the large hacking team was so disorganized.

Still, the investigator managed to dig up even more information and worm his way into Cron's second level. Takumi stared at the mask he had been given and frowned as it clashed with the Zaxon logo he noticed the proud members of the hacking team wore on their vests. The mask was more reminiscent of a demonic clown, but Takumi figured it couldn't be helped if this was his only way to access Cron's deeper territory.

Takumi flashed the mask to the last hacker standing guard in the area. The green-vested boy waved him off without so much as a glance and Takumi frowned as his task to infiltrate the account raiding operation had been much simpler than he could have ever imagined. Still, he kept his guard up and prepared his Digimon team before approaching the group of masked hackers gathered.

They seemed to have been meeting up with a businessman of some sort and Takumi did his best to blend in with them. He paused though when he noticed they weren't wearing the normal Zaxon vests. They all wore black hooded jackets with purple lining and the sharp blue-eyed boy spotted a different logo emblazoned onto it

 _Demons?_ Takumi frowned at that and it caught the attention of a masked boy with straw blonde hair.

"Huh?" he challenged Takumi. "Who the hell're you? You yankin' my chain? Showin' up here like this?" He prepared his Digivice. "I'm gonna kick you right on outta here!"

Takumi quickly pulled out the mask he had been given. "Hold up! I'm one of you!" he nervously replied. "See?"

"I've got infinite extra lives!" the boy declared before he spotted the mask Takumi was holding up. "Whoa, wait, what? Are you with us too?" He crossed his arms and examined the redhead. "A newbie? Did you raid someone's account?"

Takumi smiled and nodded at him. "Sure did," he lied.

"Well, excellent! Next time, let's raid together!" the hacker offered. "You promise?" He didn't wait for Takumi to answer as he chuckled. "You came at a good time. You with me?"

"Why? What's going on?" Takumi curiously asked.

"Have a look over there," the other hacker pointed to the masked businessman. "That's Mephisto-san," he whispered. "He buys any hijacked accounts from us directly."

"I see…" Takumi nodded as he started for the strange man.

"What, you're off already?" the hacker asked in surprise. "Mephisto-san's a little crazy, so be careful!"

The detective's assistant took the warning to heart as he slowly approached Mephisto-san. "Accounts… Hand them over…" the man stated. "Ugh… Accounts… Accounts…"

Takumi tilted his head to the side and frowned. _There's something not right here, but I might as well start questioning him._ "I want to ask about account raids," he began.

"Hurry… Accounts… Hand them over… Accounts!" the man continued to say.

Takumi shook his head as it didn't seem the man had even heard him. "Come on. I'm asking you about account raiding."

"Acc…?" Mephisto-san suddenly began babbling.

The masked hacker stared at Mephisto-san oddly. "Who!? What did you do to him?" he asked Takumi. He shook his head to check on Mephisto-san. "Mephisto-san, are you rollin'?"

"I don't think that's it…" Takumi frowned as he sensed something was extremely wrong.

"Y-y-you," Mephisto-san turned on the redhead. "You didn't bring iiiiit! S-s-so, so, give me your account!"

"Hey, calm down, Mephisto-san-san!" the masked hacker tried to say. "Look, you're freakin' the newbie out! Mephisto-san-san!"

The masked business man let out a yell and a Growmon emerged behind him. Takumi tensed up and quickly called out his team. "A Digimon!?"

The Digimon and man began speaking at once. "I want a rare… sparkling… shiny new account… Give it to meeee!" they roared as they attacked the Cyber Sleuth. "Shiny… Give it to me!"

Growmon was the first to move and he quickly charged at Takumi. The redhead didn't flinch though as he called one of his speedier Digimon over to counter it. "Galgomon! Dum Dum Upper!"

Growmon's eyes widened as the Vaccine-type Digimon suddenly appeared before him, slamming his Gatling arms upwards into the dinosaur's face. Galgomon also fired shots in conjunction to the uppercut, causing the larger Digimon to topple backwards.

Takumi quickly took a moment to analyze Growmon before looking over towards his team. "Guardromon! Galgomon! Attack from afar. Togemon, switch out!"

His robotic Digimon pointed his fists towards Growmon. "Destruction Grenade!"

"Gatling Arm!" Galgomon jumped back and began firing.

Togemon nodded to Takumi as her vulnerability to Vaccine-attributed Digimon put her at a disadvantage for this fight. As she returned to the Digivice, Garurumon (Black) took her place. "Foxfire!" the dark wolf called out as he launched himself onto the red dinosaur.

Growmon was pushed back before he decided to wrestle the wolf's fiery blast with its own. "Exhaust Flame!" He roared as scorching fire burst forth from his mouth. He winced when Guardromon supplemented his ally's attacks with more missiles. Growmon grabbed the wolf Digimon in front of him and tried to throw him into the robot, but he was suddenly blindsided by Galgomon.

"Dum Dum Upper!" The Vaccine Digimon slammed his hand into Growmon once more, ending the battle.

"Good job, everyone!" Takumi smiled before turning to face the masked businessman. He noticed the man had fallen to his knees before slumping to the ground.

"Mephisto-san-san?" The masked hacker hurried to his side in worry. "Mephisto-san-san… Mephisto-san-san!"

The other hackers scattered in panic as they didn't know what to do now. Takumi watched for a while before his Digivice beeped. He quickly answered the call. "Ah, Kyoko-san. I just fought a Digimon who was apparently collecting raided accounts from some Zaxon hackers. Without someone to sell the accounts to, the hacking should die down a little."

"I see," Kyoko nodded. "All's well that ends well. This really is such an interesting case."

"How so?"

"There are humans with Digimon collections," the detective mused. "Do you suppose the opposite must be true as well? I somehow don't find it strange that there are Digimon with collections of human account information. Still, for it to be that Mephisto-san…" she brought her hand up to her chin. "It looks like the Digimon completely overtook its user's mental data, becoming the user itself."

"Eh…? Is that really possible?" Takumi asked. He frowned as he remembered his body. "Well… I suppose it's not _completely_ out there…"

Kyoko nodded in agreement. "I want to check out what effect this has one the real world but it doesn't pertain to our current investigation. Maybe next time," she shrugged.

"Alright," Takumi nodded. "So what now?"

"The accounts collected by the Digimon included the forcibly overtaken account of Yamashina Makoto. You've done good work today. Come back to the agency," she directed him. "The wheels of fortune are ever turning." She chuckled to herself. "I should bear that in mind. Is that not so, my dear Watson?"

The Cyber Sleuth crookedly grinned at her. "I suppose…"

* * *

Kyoko looked over the data again before addressing her assistant. "Thanks to the release of Yamashina's account, I was able to salvage the account information."

"Did you discover anything of note?" Takumi curiously asked.

"I found his current address and checked it," she nodded. "Along the way I looked into his family data. Some interesting facts came to light," she said with a knowing smirk.

"Let me guess…" the boy brought his hand up to his chin. "Is it something about his daughter?

The blonde detective raised her eyebrow at the sharp teen. "Our client—this 'Yamashina Yuuko'—is very clearly not the same daughter listed here," she nodded. "Should I have guessed as much? Or should I say it's just too silly?"

"Silly?" Takumi frowned. "What do you mean by that?"

"You still haven't figured it out?" Kyoko chuckled. "Our work relationship remains sound!" she said in satisfaction.

"Well, I had my suspicions about our client from the beginning, but I didn't think it through that far," the redhead shrugged.

"For now, let's head to the Yamashina house," the detective said, standing from her desk. "What shall we find in the home of a man who's disappeared? There's only one way to find out."

* * *

Takumi looked around the apartment complex as Kyoko rang the doorbell. Things seemed pretty normal so far and it didn't take long before a gentle voice answered them. "Yes, who is it?"

The door opened and Kyoko greeted the glasses-wearing man. "Good afternoon. This is the Yamashina residence, is it not?"

"It is, but…" the man frowned at them in confusion. "Who are you?"

Kyoko crossed her arms as she seriously responded. "I'm actually looking for someone. Excuse me, but might I inquire as to your name?"

"Eh, I'm Yamashina Makoto, but…"

Takumi stared at the man in surprise. _He doesn't seem missing to me… So what was that girl's reason for giving us a case like this?_ He remained silent though as Kyoko continued.

"Thank you, Yamashina-san," she nodded before bringing her hand to her mouth. "One more question, sir. I've heard someone in this area has gone missing. Might you know who that could be?"

"A missing person?" Yamashina frowned at them. "No," he shook his head. I don't have the slightest idea."

"I see," she said in feigned disappointment. "Might I speak with your family about this as well?"

Takumi curiously looked past the man's shoulder, curious as to see who his daughter really was, but Yamashina shook his head. "Unfortunately, my wife and daughter are out at the moment," the man stated.

"Where might your daughter be?" Kyoko asked.

"Papa?" A voice asked from behind the two investigators. "What's the matter?"

Yamashina looked up and smiled. "Ah, you're home! Such good timing! There's someone here who wants a word with you."

Takumi turned and stood out of the way as a girl with light brown hair approached her father's side. _As I thought… It's not Yuuko-san._

"This is my daughter, Chika," Yamashina nodded to Kyoko.

Takumi knit his eyebrows together. _Yamashina Chika… So who does that make Yuuko?_

Chika noticed the redhead's perplexed expression so looked between Kyoko and him in confusion. "Huh? What's going on?"

"Hmm… This is your daughter, Yamashina-san?" Kyoko confirmed. "You have no other children?"

"No," Yamashina shook his head. "Chika is an only child. Why do you ask?"

"Just who are you exactly?" Chika asked.

"They're asking after a missing person in the area," her father explained. "Do you know of anyone missing?"

"Missing?" the girl looked up in surprise. "No, I haven't heard anything like that."

"There you have it," Yamashina nodded to Kyoko. "I'm sorry we weren't of much help."

"Not at all," Kyoko smiled as she crossed her arms. "Thank you for your assistance. We were able to get the information we needed after all."

Takumi raised an eyebrow at his boss. _Is that something you should really be saying aloud, Kyoko-san?_

"By the way, Yamashina-san," Kyoko continued, "are you aware that your EDEN account was hacked?"

"EDEN?" the man seemed a bit lost.

"You can rest assured, however, that we have restored the account," the blonde woman nodded. "You can use it freely now."

Takumi frowned as he noticed Yamashina had fallen silent. The man seemed ill as he lowered his gaze to the floor.

"Is something wrong, Yamashina-san?" Kyoko continued.

Chika looked up at her father in concern before quickly turning towards the woman and her assistant. "Please, just… Please leave now!" Kyoko looked at her in surprise, but Chika shook her head. "It… it doesn't matter. Just leave! We don't know anything about any missing person!" She pulled on her father's arm, urging him to return inside. "Let's go, Papa!"

The two returned indoors and Kyoko brought her hand up to her face to consider what just happened. "Hmm. That was quite the brush-off," she ended up saying.

"I can't say that I expected it, but weren't you saying a bit too much, Kyoko-san?" Takumi asked with a frown.

"And yet, we still got a lot of valuable information," she smiled at him.

"I guess…" the boy reluctantly relented.

"This Chika is certainly Yamashina-san's daughter," Kyoko mused, "Which means our client pretended to be Yamashina-san's daughter for this case."

"Why would she do that?" Takumi asked, still unable to come to a definitive conclusion himself.

"I'm not really interested in why she was deceiving us on that front," Kyoko shrugged. "But she wanted to find something out about him. What's the connection between the two of them? That's what really piques my interest." She paused for a moment as she pondered something else. "There's one more thing I'm concerned about."

"What's that?" Takumi asked, tilting his head to the side.

Kyoko shook her head and smiled at him. "Let's leave that for now."

"Eh? You won't tell me?" the boy frowned.

"The client said she'd come back to the agency. Let's have ourselves some coffee and wait for her!" Kyoko's smile grew wider.

"Forget the coffee!" Takumi shuddered. "I want to know what you're thinking!"

"Come on," she smirked at him. "Let's head back to the agency."

* * *

It didn't take long for them to wait for Yuuko to arrive. Takumi curiously watched the raven-haired girl as she came in.

"Hello there," she greeted them with a nod.

"You came," Kyoko smirked as she glanced up at the clock, "And much earlier than I expected. You are indeed an excellent client. Please, take a seat on the sofa. The investigation has concluded. I can offer you my report."

Yuuko frowned, a bit surprised the investigation had actually been completed so quickly. Takumi continued to stare at her but said nothing as they all gathered around the coffee table. He only absently listened to Kyoko as she relayed their results. He decided to focus the majority of his attention on Yuuko's demeanor, hoping the prim girl would let something slip through her body language, facial expressions, anything.

"And here are the results of the investigation," Kyoko began. "A hacker team known as Zaxon was involved in the account raid."

Yuuko's eyes widened in shock. "Zaxon!?"

"Yamashina Makoto is not missing at all. He's living a normal life," Kyoko nodded, "Happily, with his daughter Chika and his wife." The girl tensed up as she guessed the investigators already discovered her secret. Kyoko didn't press the client though as she continued. "I'd like to bring this investigation to a close, if you don't mind," the detective smiled.

Yuuko looked up towards the woman and nodded. "Yes, of course. Thank you very much."

Takumi shifted his blue eyes to his boss in confusion. _Wait… We're just going to let her go just like that!?_ He shook his head and suspiciously frowned at their client. "Who exactly are you?" he demanded to know.

The raven-haired girl frowned as she closed her eyes. She decided to ignore his question so quickly stood up. "I'll be back," she simply said.

"H-hey!" Takumi prepared to stand between her and the door, but he stopped as soon as he heard Kyoko chuckling behind him.

"You're welcome at any time," Kyoko told their client with crossed arms. "Next time, feel free to use your real name," a sly smirk appeared on the woman's face, "Kamishiro Yuuko-san."

"Eh!?" Takumi blinked as his first guess had been right after all. _Kamishiro… Yuuko…!?_

Yuuko tensed up as she sensed the boy behind her backing away. She was a bit surprised too that the detective was able to discover who she was so easily, but then again, that should have been expected. She closed her eyes as she rested her hand on the door's handle. Without another word, she departed the agency.

* * *

 **Final Notes:** So a few things to go over... First up, Takumi's Digimon team. I gave him each starter because really early in the game, it's a bit hard to balance the Digimon typing, or at least, I find it's difficult without grinding. Even though it's easy to train and raise your Digimon, I didn't really do so since I like raising my team at my own pace, plus it's overkill to have a team of Ultimates before you reach the game's chapter 10. And then there's the DLC Digimon, which I couldn't resist adding into his arsenal. For their evolutions, I based it off of my team's highest evolution form and I decided to just forego the whole memory limit thing of his Digivice. I'll also gradually add Digimon into his team based on what he defeats and whether he needs Digimon of that type on his team. That said, expect a lot of Virus Digimon and no Free Digimon on his team... because that's how I balanced it apparently... In any case, his current team now consists of Galgomon, Togemon, Tyranomon evolved from Agumon (Black), Guardromon, and Garurumon (Black). That's enough for now considering the next stuff I want to bring up are just a few personal concerns I have...


	4. Adjusting to Life as a Cyber Sleuth

**Author's Notes:** So... okay... Yeah, I really like the idea of Takumi X Yuuko but that's not really what I'll be focusing on. I really like Yuuko though because she's pretty awesome. Well, all of the main female characters are pretty awesome. I mean, Kyoko is a sports car driving detective and Nokia really grows on you. But speaking of female characters, I sometimes feel like Takumi was kinda abandoned by his mom. If you interpret her DigiLine messages a certain way, it's like she more prefers being overseas away from her son than taking care of him. And the game doesn't even mention Takumi's dad. I'm sure Takumi learned to cope with being alone... maybe... Anyway, this is a filler chapter because it just covers the mandatory red cases you need to complete to progress to the next chapter. I'd omit them altogether but they do bear some importance to the main story, so enjoy!

* * *

~WOW!~MYSTERIOUS~DIGITAL~FACE~

"Kamishiro Yuuko…" Takumi frowned as he stared up at the ceiling of his bedroom. "I thought you looked familiar… but what brought you to the agency? Why ask us to look into Yamashina Makoto? Are you looking into EDEN Syndrome too?" He reached out his right hand and stared at the 'X' printed on the back of his glove and sighed. "I know I'm not the only victim. You know someone, probably a family member, who's had it for eight years after all…" He curled his fingers so that his hand made a fist. "I think I understand how you feel but…" He brought his arm down over his face and sighed. "There's so much I don't understand…" He remained on his bed for a few more minutes before sitting up. "In that case," he stated to himself, "I need more information. If I want answers, I'll have to find them myself. Let's see if there's anything else at the hospital I can dig up."

He rose to his feet and grabbed his goggles from the nightstand. After a quick meal, Takumi checked to make sure he had his key and wallets before closing the door to his room. As he slipped on his shoes, he noticed Kyoko was calling him.

"Ah, Kyoko-san. I was just about to—" he paused when he saw the detective was currently on the phone with someone else. He locked up his apartment and started for the station as he patiently waited for her to finish.

"Hmm, you just barely succeeded, then?" she asked the other line. "I haven't received any information from the assistant at this detective agency. Please get back to me with the information as soon as possible." Kyoko finally put down the receiver before turning her attention to Takumi. "I know it's your day off today, but something just came up."

"Alright," Takumi nodded. "Does it have to do with EDEN Syndrome?"

She shook her head. "You're not a police detective so at times like this you should just do nothing."

"But, Kyoko-san, I—"

"Anyway, moving along, I need your help with something else," she quickly cut him off. "I've put it on the whiteboard. You can take this one whenever you like. Come to the office when you're ready."

"Why not just give it to me right now?" Takumi suggested. "It'll save me the trip."

"Huh? You didn't understand what I meant?" Kyoko shook her head at him. "I can't tell you here… That's pretty much a rule, you know," she sternly stated.

"Client confidentiality, right?" Takumi smirked as he looked at the street around him. "Alright, I'm coming over now," the detective's assistant nodded.

* * *

 _Client: Kuremi Kyoko_

 _Place: Kuremi Detective Agency_

 _Details: This is a personal case… Help me with Matayoshi's case without being noticed. Discretion is required._

Takumi frowned at the note but accepted it anyways. He tucked it into a new folder and reported to Kyoko for more details. "So what's this case about?"

"It seems that a criminal calling himself the 'Mysterious Digital Face' has tipped the police off about his planned crimes. He told the Shinjuku Matagi—a cop who loves Shinjuku—that he was going to steal top secret police information," Kyoko briefed him.

"Eh!? That's pretty bold…" Takumi blinked at that. "But how does this involve us?"

The detective smirked. "This is of course a situation for the police to deal with. They've put Detective Matayoshi of the cyber crime investigation unit in charge. Such dramatic incidents tend to hurt the pride of the police force…"

"Ah… I see where this is going," Takumi crossed his arms.

"If the criminal manages to steal the data and gets away, the blame will fall on Detective Matayoshi," Kyoko nodded with a grim expression on her face. "If that's the case it will be a hard blow for us…" She smirked up at her up-and-coming assistant. "So, I need you to help Matayoshi with his investigation covertly. Do you understand what I mean by 'covertly'?"

"Well, I know the definition of the word, but…" the redhead brought his gloved hand up to his chin.

"Huh? You have a question?" Kyoko crossed her arms.

"What exactly do you mean by 'covertly'?" Takumi asked. "I mean, this is Detective Matayoshi we're talking about. He'd come to us if he really needed help, right?"

"Matayoshi isn't very good at this kind of thing," Kyoko shook her head, "so I asked him privately if he needed some help… His response was 'This is a matter of pride for myself and the force!' and refused… But I'm not going to let this go so easily," she seriously stated, "so I would like you to support him 'covertly'."

"Alright then," Takumi nodded. "But who is this 'Mysterious Digital Face'?"

"Perhaps he was inspired by the 'Multifaced Criminal' Ranpo Edogawa and got his name from that," the detective shrugged. "Back then, the mysterious man who inspired terror and madness in children… Kogorou Akechi was his name. His rival was a group of young detectives."

"I've never heard of him," the teen shook his head.

"You don't know about it because it was a bit before your time… Actually," Kyoko wore an amused smirk, "even people in my generation are too young to know about it."

"I see… And the 'Shinjuku Matagi'?"

"I had never heard that phrase before either," Kyoko admitted. "It's most likely a nickname of some sort. At the end of the day, the kanji used may be spelled 'Detective' but it reads 'Cop'. 'Matagi' means 'bear hunter'."

"So a cop who works as a bear hunter?" Takumi pieced together.

Kyoko shook her head at him as he was getting off topic. "Please get to work as quickly as possible."

"Alright," he smiled. "But where should I start?" he asked himself with closed eyes.

"Huh? You want to know what you should do?" she smirked. Takumi opened his eyes and stared at her curiously. "This is about stolen information from the police, so try going to and asking groups of thugs on the street for information."

"Right… that makes sense," her assistant sheepishly laughed.

"I'll try and find out what was said in that tip-off. You go to Cron and ask around," Kyoko crossed her arms.

* * *

Takumi spoke with every hacker he encountered as he journeyed through Cron's second level. He didn't discover much until he met a whimsical hacker wearing an oversized blue cap who seemed as though he had information on the Mysterious Digital Face.

"Yeah, of course I know!" the boy nodded.

"Really?" Takumi's eyes widened. "Please tell me everything."

"Yeah, the 'Mysterious Digital Face' is a hot topic around her at the moment," the hacker smirked, looking around Cron. "The cops were asking me the same kind of questions earlier."

"The cops?" the detective's assistant frowned.

"Wait, are you asking around about him too?" the hacker suspiciously eyed Takumi. "Well I'm not saying nothing to no cop," he crossed his arms. "Cops and hackers are enemies, you know?"

"Hey, come on," Takumi gave the hacker a convincing smile. "I've got Digimon, don't I? That makes me a hacker, right? You can tell me."

He eyed the Digimon following Takumi before giving up his information. "This incident must be particularly embarrassing for the police. The criminal admitted to the crime before committing it. I know a hacker who hates cops more than anyone… Maybe that guy is the Mysterious Digital Face…" he said, pulling his cap down over his eyes.

"Do you know where I can find that hacker?"

"Huh? You want to know where that hacker is?" The whimsical hacker shrugged. "He hangs out in Shinjuku a lot. He's a fiery, moody, shady kind of guy. Cop or not, you're gonna wanna question him." With that, the hacker walked away.

"Thanks!" Takumi called out to him before calling Kyoko. "I just found out that there's a cop-hating hacker in Shinjuku."

"I just got the information from the tip-off warning," Kyoko nodded with a pleased smile. "It brought me here to Shinjuku, too. One way or another it looks like our criminal is in Shinjuku… Go find him as soon as possible!" she directed her assistant.

"Understood!" Takumi nodded before cutting the call. He turned towards the logout zone, but blinked when he saw a middle-aged man in a long green raincoat coming towards him.

"Huh?" Matayoshi smiled at him. "Oh, you're from Kyo-chan's office, right?"

 _Caught already!?_ Takumi's eyes widened. "Detective Matayoshi…!"

"Hey, what's with the 'Oh crap!' look on your face!?" the old man frowned at him. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm just a curious teen checking out Cron," the redhead nervously chuckled. "There's nothing wrong with that… Anyway, why are you here?"

"Huh? You want to know what I'm doing?" Matayoshi raised an eyebrow at the boy. "I'm on the trail of the Mysterious Digital Face. I've come to EDEN to ask around about him."

"You did, huh?" Takumi looked around Cron. "Oh… so that's what the rumors about a cop-hating hacker being in Shinjuku was about…" he thoughtfully stated.

"Huh?" Matayoshi crossed his arms and frowned. "You say you think that hacker who hates cops is in Shinjuku? A hacker who 'hates' cops, you say…" He took a few seconds to think it over before suspiciously frowning at the red-haired boy. "But how do you know that?"

"Like I said…" Takumi sheepishly scratched his face. "I was around catching rumors…"

The Cyber Sleuth didn't think the veteran detective bought his lie, but Matayoshi definitely didn't push him any further than that. With a smile, the old man nodded to him. "Hmm, okay, well thanks for the info…" He turned around to leave but shook his head. "If Kyo-chan is getting you to do something, I want to know what it is."

"Eh!? But I'm not—"

"This is a matter of police pride!" Matayoshi cut him off and pulled his cap down. "It's mine to take care of!"

Takumi frowned as the man walked away. He brought his hand up to his chin and closed his eyes. "Pride or not, you can't force yourself to do everything alone…" the teen muttered to himself. "But then again… I suppose I'm not in any position to be saying such things…" He shook his head and opened his eyes. "Anyway, let's look for the hacker who hates cops in Shinjuku."

* * *

"Looks like you've arrived in Shinjuku," Kyoko stated.

"Um… Kyoko-san…" Takumi frowned as he confessed something to her. "So while I was in Cron, I saw Detective Matayoshi…"

"Huh? You met Matayoshi while you were asking around Cron?" She didn't seem all that upset as she brought her hand up to her mouth. "I see, you told him about the information on Shinjuku," she guessed. "If Detective Matayoshi solves the case by himself with that information, that'll be great. Just to be sure, please continue your investigation in Shinjuku."

"Understood," the boy nodded as he started for the downtown area of Shinjuku.

Takumi talked to the hacker loitering the street, but frowned when he didn't have much information to share. Soon he spotted a police officer so quickly approached him to see if he had seen anyone suspicious around.

"A hacker who hates cops?" the officer asked. "I saw this guy. He didn't look like a hacker but he really hated cops…" he recalled. "He was whispering something hateful about cops by the access point to the station courtyard…" The officer shook his head and smiled though. "But I don't really think he hates the police… I mean, come on, we are soooo cool!" He pulled his hat down as his smirk grew. "Someday I'm definitely gonna…" he quickly stopped speaking and cleared his throat.

Takumi frowned at how odd the officer was, but he shook his head since the man at least gave him something useful to work with. "Well, thanks." The red-haired boy turned back towards the direction he came from. "All right. Let's go to the access point in the station courtyard."

As soon as he got to the access point, he noticed a suspicious man standing right by it. He carefully approached him, but the man already noticed the teen. "What is it?" the man asked him. "You got somethin' you wanna ask?"

Takumi nodded. "Yeah, I'm—"

"What the!?" the man frowned at him. "Who the hell are you!? You think you're so important! You asking around? You're a cop, right?"

Caught off guard by the man's temper, Takumi quickly shook his head. "Not at all! I'm—"

"You're just hiding behind the power the state gives you!" the man accused the detective's assistant. "Tyranny! Cruelty! This is a violation of my human rights!" With a yell he suddenly accessed the network terminal.

"It looks like he's run from the access point to EDEN," Takumi frowned. "Let's go after him!" He quickly held out his hand to the terminal and traced the man's signature directly into Cron. When he landed, Takumi quickly lifted his gaze and saw a Digimon at the man's side.

"I hate the police!" the man yelled. "I hate them! I haaaate theeem!" He shook his head. "Questioning? Bicycle registration number? I don't have time for that!" he crossed his arms. "I need to get home. My favorite anime show is about to start!" He looked towards Takumi. "Am I really that suspicious looking? Am I really that shady? The police are the enemy! The police are the enemy!"

"Calm down! I'm just here to investigate a hacker for the police." Takumi frowned as the man didn't seem to be listening. He also didn't appear to be a hacker with a Digimon. Rather, it was just like when Growmon possessed Mephisto-san. Still, if Takumi wanted to get anywhere in this case, he'd have to take out the Digimon before him. The Cyber Sleuth quickly called out his team and began his scan on Vegimon.

The yellow Digimon glared at him. "You… you're the cops' crony? So, you're their little lap dog!" He swung one of his whip-like arms towards the boy but was suddenly knocked over by a ferocious black wolf.

"Foxfire!" Garurumon (Black) roared as fierce flames engulfed his opponent. The fierce animal bit Vegimon and tossed him into the air.

"Okay," Takumi nodded. "Gatling Arm! Destruction Grenade!" Galgomon and Guardromon both took aim and fired at it, quickly finishing the Digimon off. The Cyber Sleuth turned his attention to the panicked man to check if he was now okay.

"Whoa!?" the man flinched. "Oh, what…" He looked around his surroundings in confusion. "Where am I!?"

"You were possessed by a Digimon and brought to Cron," Takumi explained.

"Huh?" the man frowned. "Possessed by a Digimon? I see," he shook his head. "I can't remember…"

"Do you know anything about the criminal stealing police data known as the Mysterious Digital Face then?" Takumi asked, bringing his hand up to his chin.

"Hmm?" the man crossed his arms and shook his head. "Mysterious Digital Face? He stole secret police data? What are you talking about?" Takumi lowered his hand and studied the man as he explained himself. "First off, I'm not a hacker… I admit I hate the police, but…" he sighed. "I was born with a strange, suspicious vibe so everyone always mistrusts me and treats me like their enemy."

"That's… unfortunate…" Takumi knit his eyebrows together.

"Anyway, I don't know anything about the Mysterious Digital Face!" the man cried.

Takumi sighed and let him go. "Sorry for bothering you then," he apologized. As the man walked away, Takumi closed his eyes. "Where did the investigation go wrong?" He frowned to himself as he tried to retrace his steps. "I did everything correctly… but—" He opened his eyes when his Digivice began beeping. "Aiba Takumi here," he quickly picked up.

"Did you catch the criminal?" Kyoko urgently asked. She didn't even wait for her assistant to answer before relaying more instructions. "Okay, just bring the criminal straight to the station and don't let Detective Matayoshi see you…"

"Uh… About that…" Takumi shook his head. "It seems as though we found the wrong guy."

"Huh?" the blonde detective blinked at him. "He wasn't a criminal, just shady?" Kyoko shook her head. "I see… That's a pity…"

"Sorry…" Takumi apologized. "I think I messed up somewhere along the way." He looked up towards the detective and noticed she was smiling. "Huh? You're not upset with the results?"

She shook her head as she calmly kept her cool. "There's nothing to be done for it. We just need to do the investigation again. Please come back here."

"Understood," he nodded before hanging up. He didn't move though as he began frowning to himself. "Ah…" he sighed. "If I can't even solve a simple case like this on my own, how am I supposed to find the information necessary to get my body back?"

* * *

Takumi looked around as he came out of the Shinjuku terminal. He tensed up thought as he heard Matayoshi calling out to him. "Hey, you! What are you doing here?"

"Detective Matayoshi…!" the boy nervously turned around.

The old man laughed at the flustered boy. "Surprised, eh?"

Takumi crookedly smiled. "A bit…" He paused when he noticed the police officer from before behind the detective. "Huh? Who's that, Detective?"

"Hmm?" Matayoshi turned to look at the man following him. "You want to know who this is? This is the infamous 'Mysterious Digital Face'! I just arrested him!"

"Eh!?" Takumi's eyes widened. "Wait, are you sure!?"

"Huh? How do I know?" Matayoshi sternly frowned. "This guy isn't a real policeman. He's just a normal guy in a costume."

The criminal in the uniform smiled at the older man. "Just what you'd expect from Detective Matayoshi… You've truly earned the title of the 'Shinjuku Matagi'…"

Matayoshi crossed his arms and shook his head. "Right from the start, I never thought the criminal who did this hated the police. 'Shinjuku Matagi' was my nickname over ten years ago…"

"Ah… I see…" Takumi stared at the captured criminal.

"The person who knew this must have really liked the police…" Matayoshi nodded. "No, he'd have to be a complete fanatic. When I was going around Shinjuku asking about this and I ran into him, it came to me instinctively. When I looked into him I found out he wasn't a real cop."

"Then who is he really?" Takumi asked.

"He's a hacker who aspired to be a member of our cyber crime squad of the police, but kept failing the entrance exam. He broke under the pressure and admitted it when I cross-examined him."

Takumi raised an eyebrow at the smiling criminal. For some reason, the man didn't seem all that disgruntled at being caught. Instead the man slightly pulled his cap down. "Wow. Japanese police are truly excellent to be able to find me out so easily…" he chuckled. "So now I will get to spend all day every day with these policemen… Well, I guess that's not so bad…" he laughed.

Takumi opened his mouth to speak before shaking his head. _I should just leave it at that…_ He turned back towards Matayoshi. "So what now, Detective?"

"Well, it feels like catching this guy is its own reward, but…" the old man shook his head. "Well, I suppose that's enough." He stuffed his hands into the pockets of his raincoat and flashed the teen a grateful smile. "I suppose I should thank you for your help…"

"What do you mean?" the boy knit his eyebrows together. "I… didn't really do anything," he said, a bit disappointed in the results of his work.

"I was only able to catch him because you gave me important clues," Matayoshi said, patting Takumi's shoulder. "You helped me save face…" the old man nodded. "I thank you for that. Please pass my regards on to Kyo-chan and tell her I'm sorry for worrying her."

"Sure thing," Takumi nodded.

Matayoshi turned around and pulled his cap down. "Oh, and tell her she chose a good assistant. I look forward to seeing what type of 'specialist' you'll grow into," he laughed. "If you ever need assistance, don't hesitate to ask for it whether it's from me or Kyo-chan, eh?"

"H-huh!?" the teen stared at the man with surprised blue eyes. "U-uh, yeah! I-I will…!" Takumi managed to stutter as the detective escorted the criminal away. The redhead watched them leave before finally smiling to himself. "Of course… I'm not alone so long as I have Kyoko-san and my Digimon looking out for me." He wryly laughed to himself. "I suppose I'm also worrying Kyoko-san…" He crossed his arms and closed his eyes. "Doggedly and with all your might, exhibit endurance like hard black iron…" Takumi opened his eyes and smiled. "I just need to keep my cool, right, Kyoko-san?"

* * *

Kyoko wore a wide smirk as Takumi finished delivering the news of the arrest to her. "Right, so the Mysterious Digital Face was safely brought to justice?"

"In the end, yeah," Takumi chuckled.

"You've managed to preserve the honor of the police force and of Detective Matayoshi," Kyoko gave him a satisfactory nod. "Good job. I suppose we should reconsider our low opinion of Detective Matayoshi now…" She took a moment to go over the entire case. "We tried to support him covertly at first, but… We weren't able to find the criminal by ourselves… He is an elite detective… That gut instinct of his… That's one of the greatest gifts you can have…" She became quiet for a moment as she further considered something. "Still…" she began with a smirk, "The 'Shinjuku Matagi'… 'Matagi' means a bear hunter, a person who can use the footprints and smell of a bear to track it down and move in for the kill." She nodded to herself and chuckled. "Of course, it's the perfect nickname for Detective Matayoshi."

"Alright, but what about Mysterious Digital Face?" Takumi curiously asked. "There really was nothing mysterious or digital about the actual culprit in the end."

"I think the real 'Multifaced Criminal' was sort of a fan of the police and private investigators. He's probably the first ever hot-cold personality type," Kyoko hypothesized with a shrug. "The same can be said with the actual culprit here."

"So their fascination with the law turned them into criminals?" the teen shook his head and sighed. "I guess there really are people of all types."

"You're one to talk about interesting personality types," Kyoko smirked at him. "But that said, you did a good job today. I made the right choice in giving this case to you. It seems you learned a lot from it."

"What do you mean?" the teen nervously asked her.

"Hmm… I'm sure you already know what I mean," she said, her smirk never wavering for a second. "You're my assistant after all." Kyoko shook her head as she returned her attention to another case she was working on. "Now, didn't you have plans earlier? You're free to complete them now. It _is_ your day off after all."

"Actually," Takumi shook his head as he picked up the folder on her desk, "I think I'll stay and help out. You seem to have a lot on your plate, Kyoko-san."

"Oh?" Kyoko curiously looked up at him. "Are you sure you don't have a pressing matter to look into on your own?"

"Hm?" The redhead gave her a small smile and shook his head. "It's not something I should rush into alone. Besides, you're working these investigations by yourself, right, Kyoko-san? I want to help you as much as I can. Like you said, I _am_ your assistant. You shouldn't have to do this all on your own if I'm here."

The detective proudly smiled at how much he was able to grow after just one job. "If that's the case, I'll be relying on you then, my dear Watson."

* * *

~TIME~CAPSULE~SNOW~WOMAN~

As she sipped her new coffee blend, Kyoko frowned at the draft that suddenly blew through the room. "Why in the world is it so cold inside Broadway?"

"Hm?" Takumi looked up from the stack of case files he had been reorganizing for her. "Is it? I think the temperature is fine."

She frowned as she studied her half-cyber assistant. "So not all physical laws hold with your body…" she mused. Kyoko shook her head as she sensed the office dropping another half degree or so. "Is something wrong with the AC? If you're not doing anything, find out what's going on," she nodded to him.

"But I'm—" Takumi paused when she coolly stared at him. He nervously chuckled and set the files aside. "Alright then. I'll have a look around when I go out for lunch. It's probably nothing though. I seriously don't feel anything different."

* * *

As he exited the agency to take his lunch break, Takumi saw a girl standing outside Mirei's consultation room shaking. "Brr…" the girl shook her head. "The back entrance is so c-cold… It's a little better here at least…"

Takumi frowned when he didn't really notice anything, but if a _normal_ person thinks so, he might as well check it out. When he arrived at the back entrance, he looked up to the blond boy that usually took a break in the area and saw him shivering too.

"Whoa!" the other teen shook his head. "It's f-f-freezing in here! Did the AC break or something?" The boy looked towards the vents with a frown.

Takumi followed his gaze and blinked when he noticed something strange about the vent. _Is that a digital distortion of some sort?_ He carefully approached it and blinked when his Digivice received an incoming transmission. "Huh…!?"

An image of a pale, brown-haired girl came up on the display. She didn't say anything, but she did seem a bit dreary. After a while, the transmission ended.

Takumi frowned. "Her voice cut out." He looked around again but noticed the distortion was gone. "I wonder what's up…" His Digivice rang again and he quickly picked up, thinking it was another transmission. To his surprise, it was Kyoko.

"Me again," Kyoko nodded to him. "I've got a new case for you. Why don't you drop on by so we can talk?"

The redhead knit his eyebrows together as it looked like he would have to forego his lunch break today. "Alright... If it's a case, I'm heading back now."

* * *

 _Client: Broadway Management_

 _Place: Broadway_

 _Detail: There is something wrong with the air-conditioning in Broadway. Find the cause._

Takumi blinked at the note in his hand. "So, how does this warrant an investigation?" he asked as he turned towards Kyoko.

"From what I gather, the air conditioning inside Nakano Broadway is on the fritz," she told him. "It just keeps pumping in cold air constantly and nobody can switch the heating on."

"Okay, but shouldn't that be a job for an electrician? Or a mechanic of some sort?" Takumi crossed his arms. "It's just a problem with the cooling system, right?"

"The thing is," Kyoko shook her head, "nobody can find anything wrong with it and the businesses are at a lost on what to do." She smirked as she saw it click together in Takumi's mind. "That's where we come in. People aren't getting much work done, so I told them to leave it to us! If we can get to the bottom of this mess, I'm sure they'll just love us forever for it!"

"So you intend to use this case to up our reputation…" Takumi crookedly grinned. "You made me skip lunch for—" he paused when his Digivice rang. "Hello? This is Aiba Takumi speaking." He blinked when the dreary girl from before appeared on the display. "Huh? You again?"

"Huh? You keep getting transmissions from someone?" Kyoko curiously hacked into Takumi's Digivice to see who it was. "Hmm… Well, isn't she a cutie," she teased her assistant.

Takumi smirked at that. "Oh, so you think so too? I wonder if she's my type," he chuckled.

Kyoko ignored his comment before she noticed something strange about the transmission. "The white noise in this is really bad. I can't make out what she's saying. Where's this coming—" she shook her head when the call came to an abrupt end. "Damn, it cut out."

"The first time she contacted me, it was around the area where it was the coldest," Takumi told the detective.

"What? You're saying the same transmission came in where it was cold?" Kyoko took a moment to think things over. "Hmm… We might be closing in on the cause. If so, our next step is to resolve this thing, plain and simple."

"Yeah, the sooner we do it, the sooner I can grab a bite," Takumi groaned as he placed a hand over his stomach. He shook his head since now wasn't the time for that. "So what do you need me to do this time?"

"I'm going to see if I can figure out the signal's origin. You ask around about the air conditioning," she nodded to him.

"Understood!" he nodded. Takumi paused for a moment. "Wait… I can probably grab some takoyaki from upstairs along the way. Lunch problem solved!"

* * *

Takumi pensively finished his takoyaki before ordering a triple scoop ice cream cone from the soft cream parlor nearby. He received many odd looks from the other visitors considering how cold the mall was, but the redhead really didn't notice since he had his eyes closed as he normally did when he was deep in thought.

"The sweetness of the strawberry is a bit high," he nodded to himself as he tasted the sample. "Perhaps if I balance it with the milder flavor of matcha green tea… And I suppose vanilla and chocolate are a classic combination, but there's also red bean… Oh, and I should really consider the order of how they're served," the redhead frowned. "Ah… in that case…" He straightened up and quickly told the server how he wanted his ice cream. "I would like a waffle cone with matcha green tea on the bottom, red bean flavor in the middle, and strawberry on top."

"Wow!" the woman working the booth handed him the cone. "Aren't you cold eating all that ice cream, Aiba-kun?"

"Nope, I'm fine," the boy smiled as he paid for his dessert. "I'm pretty resistant to the cold."

"You're lucky…" the worker sighed. "It looks like all of Broadway has its AC malfunctioning."

"Yeah," Takumi knit his eyebrows together. "Kyoko-san and I were actually requested to look into it. I'm in the middle of asking around about that now actually."

"But you couldn't resist ordering something anyways, huh, Aiba-kun?" the woman giggled at him. "You're quite the glutton despite how thin you are. Oh!" She straightened up as she remembered something. "If you're looking for information on Broadway itself, why not try K-Café? It might be a bit crowded now due to the cold, but the owner there knows a lot of random trivia about the building."

"Really?" Takumi stared at the remaining scoop on his cone. "Alright, I'll check it out."

He went up the stairs towards the fourth floor and turned the corner to get to K-Café. When he saw the line leading into the small establishment his face slightly fell. Crushing the used napkin in his hand, he shook his head before forcing his way into the small café.

"Sacchan!" he called out to the part-time maid. "Is the master available? I need to ask about Broadway's cooling unit!"

Sacchan quickly pulled the detective behind the counter. "Boss, Aiba-kun's looking for you!"

The raven-haired man nodded as he heard. "You wanna know how the AC broke? Beats me," he shrugged. "I have no idea. It's odd. We don't have a central unit anymore, so how could everyone's AC go out?"

"Central unit?" Takumi knit his eyebrows together.

"Huh? You don't know about the central unit?" The owner smiled as he happily shared the information with the young teen. "Back when this place first opened, there was a big underground unit that controlled the AC for the whole building. Sure feels like the old central unit going out. The way it worked was that every store circulated that cool air up to their stores with fans."

"Underground?" Takumi tilted his head to the side as the building design didn't make any sense. "Why was there a central unit underground at all?"

"Well, that was to refrigerate a certain something," the owner laughed. "What do you think it was?"

"Ice cream?" the redhead wistfully answered.

"It was Japan's oldest vacuum tube computer!" the man exclaimed. "Can you believe it? The room that computer was housed in was right here in Nakano!"

"Eh…?" the teen crossed his arms. "Is it still here?"

"Sad to say, I have no idea what happened to it," the man shook his head. "There's nothing left to it anymore. And even if there were, there are no records remaining. Nobody remembers where it was either. The room itself might as well be an urban legend."

"But it really did exist, right?" Takumi confirmed.

The man shrugged as he didn't really know either, despite explaining it all to the boy as thought it was all true. "I can tell you one thing though, it's really cold…" He broke into a sleazy chuckle. "Although it's done wonders for coffee sales today."

"Well, thanks for the information," Takumi smiled. He wrestled his way out of the café before noticing Kyoko was trying to reach him.

"I've figured out where that signal came from, so get back to the office when you can, all right?" she told him.

"I discovered a few things too," he nodded. "I'll be there in a few minutes."

Kyoko frowned when she noticed something on her assistant's face. "Were you eating on the job again?"

"It was technically my lunch break when you sent me to work," Takumi pointed out with a shrug. "I got hungry."

"Well in that case, you must be thirsty now," Kyoko nodded. "I'll prepare some coffee for when you'll get back." She cut the transmission before Takumi could say anything else.

Takumi weakly laughed to himself as he slowly made his way back to the office. "Oh, how cruel the coffee gods are…"

* * *

"Nice work with your investigation," Kyoko complimented her assistant as he choked down his coffee. "Now what have you got to report?"

"Apparently, Broadway used to house Japan's oldest vacuum computer. It's in a room hidden somewhere in the building, but it's related to the building's central cooling unit." Takumi grimaced as the coffee's aftertaste was lingering a bit longer than he wanted to but continued. "If we find that room, we might be able to fix the AC."

"Hmm…" Kyoko brought her hand up to her chin pensively. "This is the first I've heard of that computer room. But with that information, it's all starting to click for me now."

"So you know where that room is?" Takumi asked.

She nodded her head. "Like I mentioned before, I've figured out who the girl in those transmissions is. Her name's Yuki Fuyume. She was a breakout idol from a few decades back."

"But the girl is a bit too young, isn't she?" the boy knit his eyebrows together as he brought his gloved hand to his chin.

"What we've been seeing… the avatar on the screen is her when she was in her prime as an idol," Kyoko explained. "Somebody is therefore using a terminal inside Nakano Broadway and broadcasting her likeness."

"So… you're thinking a hacker or a Digimon," Takumi concluded.

Kyoko crossed her arms, proud that he was able to figure out that much. "And the signal seems to be coming from the fourth floor. Looking at the map, it's right inside a wall at K-Café."

"That narrows it down to a Digimon," the Cyber Sleuth nodded. He looked up in surprise though. "Wait… If that's the case… how am I supposed to access a wall!?"

The detective chuckled to herself. "The whole thing has played out like a horror story, hasn't it? A long lost idol relaying her message from inside a wall…" She ignored her assistant's groans. "But with your report, it's all coming together now."

Takumi smiled at her praise but still crossed his arms. "But a _wall_?"

"We've uncovered a piece of Nakano Broadway history that not even the owner of K-Café as the go-to historian could claim to know. But enough talk," she smiled, rising from her seat. "It's time to head back to K-Café. I'll be coming along for this one, too."

"Good, because I seriously want to know how I'm going to Connect Jump into a _wall_."

As they left the office, they spotted two students of Inoden walking past. One boy shook his head as he lowered his phone. "I got a message from a girl and when I answered it…" he shivered. "It got cold all of a sudden. It's the 'Snow Woman'! She's cursed us! It has to be her!"

His shivering friend shook his head. "I-I can hardly believe it… But it definitely has been really ch-chilly in here. I've got a bad feeling about this. Maybe I'll just go home…"

As they walked away, Kyoko chuckled to herself. "Heh, the Snow Woman. The MO sure does fit that folktale, though. Even the idol's name, Yuki Fuyume, means 'Winter Snow Woman'. Snow Woman herself shows up in a lot of stories from regions with cold climates. This is definitely the first time she's taken form as an old 80s idol. But it's pretty fitting for Nakano Broadway, all things considered," the woman continued to chuckle.

"But it's not a ghost… It's probably a Digimon…" Takumi seriously crossed his arms. "Maybe…" He sighed as he was still wrapping his mind over the whole wall thing. "Most likely…?" He shook his head and chuckled to himself. "I don't even know anymore…"

"Still, if we don't act quickly, she's going to damage this place's reputation," Kyoko reminded him, "so let's get a move on already."

"You're the one who was distracted first!" Takumi shook his head as he took off after her. "Kyoko-san!"

* * *

Takumi blinked as the crowd of people around K-Café let Kyoko into the store with ease. He didn't complain though as he quickly followed in after her. He nervously looked around as it would be difficult to do a Connect Jump without _someone_ noticing. Still, they could probably just blame whatever strange phenomenon it was on the "Snow Woman". Maybe the ghost story would be useful after all.

The detective's assistant paused when he noticed Kyoko wasn't interested in talking to the owner, but was staring at a wall. He blinked too when he noticed she was staring straight at a digital distortion with a confused frown on her face.

"This is it…" Kyoko stated comparing the data from her pink-lens Digivice to the actual location they were standing at. "The transmission should be coming from the other side of here," she placed her hand over the distortion. She shook her head as she couldn't find anything suspicious at all. "Yet there's no door and there are no signs of the wall being tampered with… What's going on here…?"

"You can't see it, Kyoko-san?" Takumi asked while watching the light blue distortion flicker. She looked over to him curiously as he touched the wall. As soon as he did, his Digivice rang and the image of Yuki Fuyume appeared again.

"Another transmission…" Kyoko noted. "That just about confirms we're in the right spot, then."

"Of course, we are…" Takumi nodded.

Her eyes narrowed on her assistant. "I don't… I don't like the looks of this," she admitted to him.

"What!? Why not?" he asked. He paused when he felt a strange tingling sensation wash over his body. He quickly looked down at himself but was glad to see his body remained intact. He did notice, however, the sound of the AC kicking into high gear. "Huh…? Did the AC just go into full blast? Was that the idol's doing?"

Kyoko nodded as she crossed her arms. "It's like… she's noticed us trying to meddle with her… and now it's even colder. You're probably less… affected by her tricks thanks to your unique body."

Takumi shook his head. "I sensed something strange though…" he told the detective. He shook his head as he held his hand up to the distortion again.

"Oh, did you find something?" she asked.

"This entire time there was a digital distortion here," he quickly explained. "It looks like I'm the only one who can see it."

"I see…" she nodded. "So there's an entry point into cyberspace inside that wall."

"So this is how I'll Connect Jump into a wall," Takumi smirked to himself. He worriedly looked back at his shivering boss. "Kyoko-san…"

"Don't worry about me," she shook her head at him. "You go on ahead and get in there!"

With a curt nod, the Cyber Sleuth disappeared into the strange network.

* * *

Takumi made it into the deepest recesses of the network before he spotted the idol known as Yuki Fuyume. His eyes widened in confusion as there was no way any other human could have been here. He hurried over to her at once but noticed she had been expecting him.

"You… came…" she gratefully smiled at the blue-eyed teen. "Thank… you…"

The girl suddenly disappeared and in her place was a small cat-like Digimon that Takumi's Digivice quickly identified as a Wanyamon. "Please…" the Digimon stared at the boy with pleading eyes, "help… me…"

Just like the girl, the Wanyamon disappeared. Takumi looked around for any sign of the Digimon but he sensed another distorting wave crash into him. He frowned as it probably meant that Broadway was getting even colder.

He clenched his teeth together as he tried to come up with a way to fix the situation. "Alright… That Digimon called me here for a reason. If he wasn't the cause then something else is!" He flinched as a sudden chill washed over him. He brought his arms up to protect his face as chilling snowflakes flew towards him. "H-huh…? I feel cold…?" He carefully looked past his arms and saw a snowman-like Digimon running towards him.

"COLDER…" the Digimon breathed, its breath visible in the cyberspace. "IT'S NOT COLD ENOUGH! NOT UNTIL EVERYONE IS FROZEN!"

"So you're the cause of all this!" Takumi tensed up as he called out his Digimon. "Galgomon!"

The speedy Vaccine let out a cry as he tried to sucker punch the snowman. "Dum Dum Upper!"

"ZETTAI REIDO PUNCH!" The snowman quickly countered Galgomon with his own fist.

Takumi's eyes widened as the attack completely froze his Digimon's arm. "Galgomon, get back!" The hacker quickly checked the enemy's scan information and frowned that it wasn't a Virus as he had initially thought. "Guardromon, Garurumon (Black), switch out with Togemon and Tyranomon!"

While waiting for his Digimon to rotate, Takumi quickly reached into his bag for a recovery disk. He didn't have time to use it though because Yukidarumon set his sights on the boy. "SNOWBALL FIGHT!" the Digimon cried as he began throwing a barrage of snowballs towards the half-cyber human.

The redhead flinched but was surprised when Galgomon took the attacks instead. "Galgomon!" Takumi frowned as he quickly applied the health patch onto his Digimon and quickly relayed new orders for his other two active Digimon. "Go all out!"

"Wild Buster!" Tyranomon roared as he became engulfed in flames. He charged into the snowman and wrestled with Yukidarumon for a while.

The opposing Digimon winced a bit but raised his fist into the air. "ZETTAI REIDO PUNCH!"

Tyranomon rolled out of the way so Togemon could counter the punch with a few of her own. "Mach Jab!"

Completely caught off guard, Yukidarumon reeled backwards. Takumi pushed Galgomon forward after finishing his treatment. "Alright! Altogether now! Xros Combo!"

"Dum Dum Upper!"

"Dino Kick!"

"Coconuts Punch!"

All three of his Digimon finished off the snowman and Takumi let out a sigh of relief that it was over. "Good job, everyone!" he called out before collapsing to the ground into a sitting position. He paused when the Wanyamon he encountered before hopped towards him.

"Brr, it was so cold!" the small Digimon shivered. "Thanks for taking care of him! That was one nasty glitch!" He happily jumped into Takumi's lap. "You saved the day, really! You must have come over when you heard my voice, right?"

"Not really…" Takumi blinked at the Digimon as the creature affectionately rubbed his head against the boy's hand. "I came here to investigate as a Cyber Sleuth."

"You didn't?" the Digimon frowned. "You're a Cyber Sleuth working a case? I don't really get it," he shook his head. "But whatever," he chuckled, "all's well that ends well! Yukidarumon's rampaging really did cause so much trouble!"

"Yeah, it did," the boy nodded before knitting his eyebrows together. "But… uh… who are you?"

"Huh? Who am I?" the Wanyamon blinked at him. "Uh, well… to be honest, I don't really know myself."

"Really?" Takumi curiously stared at the Digimon with wide blue eyes. _He's actually… really cute…_ he thought as he began petting him.

The Digimon purred at the boy's actions. "I've been stuck asleep inside this wall the whole time, you see." He suddenly jumped out of the boy's lap when Takumi's Digivice began to ring.

"Hey," Kyoko greeted her assistant. "It's finally stopped blowing cold air here. Great job! You did so much, you must be tired. It would have been a real sad state of affairs if we'd somehow managed to freeze to death here in Tokyo, of all places."

"That's true…" Takumi laughed. "But, uh… Kyoko-san… I found something interesting." He showed her the Digimon that was now playing with his team. "He doesn't know who he is… and I kinda want to help him…" he said with a slight blush on his face.

"Hmm? You found a cat Digimon with amnesia?" Kyoko stared at the small creature with intrigue. "Well, you solve one mystery, only to stumble into another, it seems. Come back here and we'll look into it."

* * *

Kyoko studied the strange Digimon with great interest. "An amnesiac Digimon, huh…?" She shook her head and smirked to herself. "Every time I think I've seen everything, I get proven wrong yet again." She nodded as she addressed the Wanyamon. "I take it those transmissions with Yuki Fuyume were your doing, then?"

"Yep," the Digimon nodded. "I wasn't able to move around once Yukidarumon started going crazy, so I had to call for help somehow and I sent out those messages." He noticed Takumi frowning at him and laughed. "Well, I did come from a vacuum tube computer inside a wall!"

"So I really did access that old computer network?" Takumi blinked in surprise.

"Then that means that vacuum tube computer was really there behind the wall, this whole time…" Kyoko mused.

"I'd been asleep inside that computer for a reeeeally long time," the Wanyamon nodded. "I only woke up just recently. And when I did, I had no idea who I was or what I was doing inside that wall, so I decided to go and see what I could learn. That was when I stumbled upon an intranet connecting the vacuum tube computer to the rest of the building."

"Intranet…?" Kyoko brought her hand up to her chin. "You must mean the networking lines that only operate inside Nakano Broadway."

"Yeah," the Digimon jumped. "So as I was just playing around, that was when Yukidarumon suddenly appeared. He was originally a Digimon that was created as a result of a glitch in the air conditioning system. But he managed to use the intranet to sneak into the vacuum tube computer I was living in!"

"I see," Kyoko nodded. "It all makes sense now. That must have been why nobody could find anything wrong with the system when they checked it."

"So it _was_ a job only we could accomplish," Takumi stated.

"Yukidarumon just went completely insane and wouldn't listen to me," the Wanyamon sighed. "Eventually I couldn't even move with all of that constant cold. It was terrible…"

Takumi sympathetically stared at the adorable Digimon. "How awful… I had no idea. A cute critter like you being bullied by a bigger Digimon like that…"

Kyoko shook her head at her assistant but crossed her arms as she considered the old vacuum computer. "It's hard to believe such an old computer was even still operational to begin with too… But its existence is probably a remnant of the centralized AC system the K-Café owner mentioned before. The wiring must have been hooked up pretty poorly for Yukidarumon to be able to wreak such havoc, then… And therein lies the root of how this all managed to happen. I imagine even our conversation right now must be going through that intranet, as well."

"Aw…" Takumi frowned. "If that's the case, you're bound to Broadway… I was hoping I could take you to EDEN… I want to raise an adorable Digimon like you…"

"By the way," Kyoko continued to ignore the boy, "is there a reason why you… chose to appear as an idol in those transmissions?"

"Why?" the Digimon blinked at her. "She was just cute, I guess."

Takumi crossed his arms and nodded as though the reason was obvious. "A cute girl for a cute Digimon."

Kyoko frowned at them both. "Um?"

"Come on, Kyoko-san," her assistant shook his head. "It's not a very complicated answer."

"Yeah, it's simple!" the cat-like creature agreed. "I just thought someone cute like her would make someone want to come in and help me! I picked Yuki Fuyume specifically because, well… she was amazing when she was really popular! She could sing, she could dance, and her looks… Fuyume had everything you could want in an idol!" The Digimon jumped up as he remembered something else. "Oh yeah! There was also a world's fair around the time her career was really starting to take off! There was such a long line for the moon rocks…" The Wanyamon paused and frowned to himself. "Wait… Why do I… remember that? I don't even know my own name…"

Takumi blinked at the Digimon. "Eh…? That's a lot of strange things to recall… What's up with that?"

"I think I get what's going on here…" Kyoko nodded. "It looks like we've uncovered a decades-old time capsule."

"Time capsule?" the Wanyamon looked towards the detective in confusion. "What's that?"

"Your memories aren't just raw bits of information," Kyoko explained. "They're more than that. They have a certain… humanity to them, let's say. I bet you're somebody's old 'memories', stashed away along with that vacuum tube computer you've been living in. That's what time capsules are for."

"That's what I am?" the Digimon wryly smiled.

"But, memories or not, that doesn't make you any less empathetic a creature to encounter…" she smirked, looking over towards her assistant who was still staring at the Wanyamon like a young child wishing to adopt a lost kitten. "Either way, this case is wrapped up now."

"Eh? Really?" Takumi frowned, disappointment apparent on his face.

"We'll look into what's up with this cat Digimon later," she reassured him. "Truly, there's no other place quite like Nakano," the detective chuckled.

"There really isn't," her assistant smiled as they bade the small Digimon farewell for the time being. He crossed his arms and smiled. "Well, this is one report I don't mind writing out…" The teen bounced up and down as he faced his boss. "Hey, hey! Kyoko-san! Did you see how adorable and awesome he was!?"

She chuckled at his enthusiasm. "And here I thought you hadn't been looking forward to the case…"

"Eh?" Takumi was immediately pulled back to reality and Kyoko noticed he was his usual self again. "I hadn't… But it _did_ turn out to be a job that only I could complete due to the nature of my existence," he frowned.

Kyoko frowned at his lack of confidence in his position as her assistant. "Still," she smirked at him, in the hopes of cheering him up, "you have a real knack for getting us involved in a lot of stuff, so thanks for always keeping it interesting around here."

The redhead eased up at that. "Heh… Thanks, Kyoko-san…"

* * *

~SEARCH~WANTED~HACKER~

Takumi yawned and leaned backwards over the sofa to stretch out his back. "Kyoko-san… I don't have anything to do…" he complained.

"You're free?" the detective raised an eyebrow at him. "What are you talking about? Detectives don't have free time."

"I finished up all the cases you posted up though," he pointed out.

"Fine, here's a task for you. Figure out what you should be doing," Kyoko challenged him.

"That's not very helpful," the redhead frowned at her. He sighed and shook his head before putting on a simple smile. "Fine… I'll head out and see what I can find." Takumi got up and started for the door before he noticed Kyoko was now intently staring at her screen and jotting something down onto a note. His eyes shone when he recognized it as a case for him. "What's that?" he eagerly asked.

"Mirei's sent in another case. She's a regular patron and an important customer. So make sure you complete her cases," Kyoko chuckled as she prepared to post it on the whiteboard.

"I'll just take that directly, thank you," Takumi said as he snatched it from her hand. "Now let's see…"

 _Client: Mikagura Mirei_

 _Details: There are lots of bad hackers in this world. The poor Digimon… Don't you think it's time for just deserts?_

The blue-eyed boy blankly stared at the note. "This doesn't have much in the way of concrete details…" Takumi shrugged to himself as he should have expected from the mysterious woman.

"In that case, go straight to Mirei and ask her what she wants," Kyoko crossed her arms. "Get to it, Cyber Sleuth."

"I'm off," Takumi waved as he left.

"Have a safe trip," she replied back.

* * *

Takumi smiled at the glasses-wearing woman as he entered the DigiLab. "How are you, Mirei-san?"

Mirei looked up at him with a satisfied smirk on her face. "If you're here, you must have taken up my case."

"That's right," the teen nodded.

"I figured you'd naturally come, given your close ties to Digimon," she smugly stated. "Anyway, let's get straight to business, shall we? You've already been to Cron in EDEN before, yes?"

"Of course," Takumi seriously answered.

"Then that'll make this conversation much quicker. EDEN is filled to the brim with hackers who view Digimon as little more than mere tools to do their bidding. Of course, said bidding is rather malicious and illegal in nature, to put it simply," Mirei frowned. "That's why I've sought out your help on this case. I'd like you to go after one such hacker and let's say 'discipline' them for these terrible hijinks. Hopefully as one of their own, they'll learn from your example to treat their Digimon much more kindly from now on."

The Cyber Sleuth nervously chuckled. "So you want me to use force against the hackers of EDEN?" Takumi shook his head as it seemed a bit too much. "Is that really okay? I don't really feel right going against _every_ hacker with Digimon."

"Hmm? Not every hacker might be so bad, you say?" Mirei raised her eyebrow at him. "From the way you talk, I take it you've met some that make you so optimistic, then?"

"Yeah," he nodded, thinking of Yuugo.

"Well, I'll take your word for it if you really do believe that," the woman smiled. "But that doesn't change the fact that there are indeed bad eggs out there, ones that abuse their Digimon and make them suffer terribly… So I would still appreciate it if you turned up the heat on such hackers, so to speak."

"All right," the Cyber Sleuth agreed. "That I can definitely do."

"Thank you. I knew I could trust you to join me in such an important cause." Mirei turned to her screen and pushed up her glasses. "I've already found an especially malevolent hacker lurking about inside EDEN. This hacker seems to be somewhere on Cron's second level. This one seems to be a particularly nasty hacker. You'll know why."

"Just leave it to me then," Takumi nodded.

"That's all I have for you right now. Thank you again for taking up this case. Once you're done, come back here and report back to me," she instructed the teen.

* * *

"This must be the hacker Mirei mentioned," Takumi frowned as he noticed a hacker attacking every wild Baby II Digimon with a pair of PicoDevimon. "Hey! What are you doing?" The redhead quickly sent Galgomon to defend the scared Digimon. Takumi's Digivice scanned the hacker and found that the account information matched what Mirei had sent him. "So you're the Cyber Hacker Norio…"

"The hell you did that for?" Norio glared at the intervening hacker before noticing the Pyokomon he had been hunting were running away. "Ah! I've got to hurry up and crush them! Get out of my way!"

"Sorry, but I can't do that," Takumi shook his head. "I won't let you keep harming the Digimon. I suggest you give up being a hacker."

Norio frowned at the redhead. "Huh? You want me to stop misusing my Digimon and give up hacking?" He shook his head at the Cyber Sleuth. "The hell you going on about? The Digimon program's prime for hacking! I'm using it just as it was always intended! What good is a tool if you don't use it, dumbass!? Anyone in my position would use this for their own benefit!"

"They're not tools you can abuse," Takumi seriously stated.

Norio stared into the boy's blue eyes and smirked. "I see that look in your eyes. If you've got anything more to say about what I do, you're just gonna have to fight me!"

"Fine with me!" the redhead nodded as Guardromon and Garurumon (Black) joined Galgomon in the battle. One PiceDevimon tried targeting Takumi with its Pico Darts attack, but the half-cyber human jumped back. The redhead frowned as he noticed Norio was issuing orders to his Digimon to specifically target him. "Using Digimon to hurt people too? I'll show you how a real hacker does things. Galgomon! Guardromon!"

"Destruction Grenade!" Guardomon launched a pair of missiles at the two Child Digimon.

"Gatling Arm!" The Vaccine Digimon followed up with a barrage of shots but he stopped only after a few seconds. It wasn't their goal to finish the Digimon, but to subdue them.

"What the!?" Norio scowled as he forced his weakened Digimon to continue. "Why are you lying around for!? Get back up and attack! Throw some more Pico Darts! Use Devil's Whisper! Do something, you useless pieces of—" he let out a scream when Garurumon (Black) landed before him and howled.

Takumi shook his head and sternly called his Digimon back. "Garurumon (Black), don't! The battle's over! There's no point in hurting him at all." The kind hacker carefully approached the wolf and petted his side. "Easy now… Come on…"

Garurumon (Black) turned his head towards his master before noticing Norio was trying to back away. The Digmion growled, resulting in the hacker shaking his head. "Okay, okay! I get what you're saying! Shut up already… Will you leave me alone if I promise to treat my Digimon better from now on?"

This seemed to please the Virus Adult as the large black wolf happily pressed his snout into Takumi's face. The boy laughed as it looks like their mission was successful. The Cyber Sleuth nodded at Norio before recalling his Digimon. "You'd better remember your promise then," Takumi sternly warned him.

The other hacker groaned as he had no choice but to comply. He crossed his arms as he watched Takumi leave. "I hate having to deal with asswipes like you…"

Takumi dismissed his comment as it didn't really matter what Norio thought. The Cyber Sleuth had proven himself to be the stronger hacker anyways and that was enough. He gave himself a satisfied smile. "The hacker seems to have at least repented… I should report back to Mirei-san."

* * *

"It appears everything went smoothly for you," Mirei smiled as Takumi returned. "I'm so glad I called on you to help me clean up EDEN. Although knowing how strong your bonds to your Digimon are, perhaps this end result was the work of fate…" she chuckled.

"Well, there was no way my Digimon could have lost considering how I've been raising them," the boy stated with a frown. "They're my friends too, after all…"

Mirei laughed at his reaction. "You should take that as a compliment."

"Sure…" Takumi mumbled as he straightened up.

"Regardless, thank you for all your hard work today," Mirei smirked at him. "I expect great things from you going forward, as well."

"Wait… There's more, isn't there?" the Cyber Sleuth asked.

"Oh, you didn't think we were done with just this one hacker you took care of, did you?" she raised her eyebrow at him. She shook her head as his face fell. "Sad to say, there are still numerous hackers out there who are mistreating their Digimon horribly. While you were out taking down that first hacker, I drafted up what you might call a 'hacker blacklist'. Right now, there are 30 such outlaw hackers on the list, with the one you just defeated bumping the total down to 29."

"That many!?" Takumi asked in surprise.

"Oh, you feel that the number is rather high?" Mirei chuckled. "I assure you, I arrived at this final roster after only the most careful of deliberation." She shook her head. "Rest assured, you won't have to search for all of the remaining hackers by yourself. I know you're only one person, after all." She pointed over to the console Takumi normally used to set his DigiFarm. "On that note, have you tried out the DigiFarm yet? If you haven't, I suggest you do so posthaste. The reason for that is because if you order the Digimon on your DigiFarm to 'Investigate', they'll find out where the other hackers are for you. Once their locations have been covered, I'll send them over to you right away as new cases to check. You can handle them the same way as today's."

The Cyber Sleuth smiled at the task she set before him. "Alright, I understand. I'll do my best," he nodded to her before turning towards the exit terminal.

"Don't underestimate the strength of your bonds with your Digimon," Mirei reminded him. The boy paused to look back at her. "Big or small, each one will lend you their aid when you need it most. So please, do what you can to save those poor Digimon from the blacklisted Hackers. I expect great things to come of this," she chuckled as he finally left.

* * *

"I'm home," Takumi smirked as he reappeared in the office.

"Welcome home," Kyoko smiled back. "I see you've been working hard for Mirei. Nice job. You two appear to be developing quite the unique dynamic, if I do say so myself."

"I suppose," the Cyber Sleuth shrugged as he began filling out his report. "Mirei-san will probably have more cases for me in the future, but at least it'll give me some work."

"Good," the detective nodded. "Otherwise, I was going to suggest you improve your hacking skills as well as your studies. You should always be sharpening your mind so when the time comes, you will be able to endure whatever comes your way."

Takumi looked up at the agency's motto hanging on the wall above Kyoko's desk. "I understand," he seriously nodded.

* * *

 **Final Notes:** So I had Agumon (Black) evolve into Tyranomon because having three out of five Digimon being Virus type is not very balanced. That said, I didn't add Vegimon to Takumi's team but I did include Yukidarumon since the snowman is a Vaccine. This gives Takumi two of each type so yeah, balance. Now about each of the three cases. Matayoshi is pretty cool, but uh... he's not very useful. Oh well. Every private detective needs someone on the police force to help them. I really like the Snow Woman case because of the Wanyamon. Of course, we don't learn more about him until later... As for the hacker blacklist... Well, it's only the start of a series of hacker hunt. Besides the purple DLC case to hunt down a trio of hackers, I'm not covering any more because... it's not important.


	5. Digital Monster

**Author's Notes:** Sorry for the late update. I had to go out earlier, but here's the next chapter. Also earlier this week, there was news of another Cyber Sleuth game coming out called Hacker's Memory. I'm completely excited for it but also weirded out by the timing of it all. Well... here's hoping they'll localize the PS Vita version... Anyway, the plot advances!

* * *

Takumi stood outside the CD shop of Broadway's second floor for a while before bringing a hand up to his face. He finally spotted his friend walking up to him and he greeted her with a smile. He paused though when he noticed she seemed a bit down. "You called for me, Nokia? What is it?"

"I'm sorry for calling you all of a sudden," she apologized. "I hope it wasn't too much of a pain."

"No, it's fine," he reassured her. "Is something wrong?"

"Um…" she lowered her gaze. "There's something I want you to hear. It's… actually…" She brought her hands up over her heart. "I… I just…" She shook her head as she finally worked up her nerve to say it. "I have a case for you!"

"Eh…!?" Takumi blinked at her in surprise.

* * *

Kyoko sternly shook her head at her assistant. "So then the client is a friend of yours? We don't get to pick out clients, you know. We have to go with whoever can pay." She turned towards the teenage girl sitting across from her on the client's sofa.

Nokia wore a crooked smile. "No, it's just that I… had something to ask of Takumi, but…"

"That's not how this works," the detective shook her head. "Shiramine Nokia," she began with a cross of her arms, "your friend here is a professional sleuth earning a paying wage for his work."

"Not really…" Takumi crookedly smiled. "You're only paying for my rent…" He shook his head. "I mean… it was _supposed_ to be room and board, but… your taste in food is just as _amazing_ as your taste in coffee," he nervously chuckled

Kyoko selectively ignored him as she continued speaking to Nokia. "The only way to ask something of a professional is to pay a professional rate for a case. Also, Takumi is my assistant. A case for my assistant is a case for me. Do I make myself clear?" her eyes flashed as a dangerous smirk appeared on her face.

"Whoa…" Nokia tensed up. "Perfectly clear," the girl nervously nodded. "I didn't think it would be such a big deal," she wryly flashed Takumi a smirk as she had not been expecting the detective to be so business-minded.

"I warned you, didn't I?" the boy shrugged.

"Well, what kind of case is it?" Kyoko asked.

"Oh, right," Nokia looked back to the woman. "Actually, I want Takumi to look for some Digimon."

"Oh? Digimon?" The detective didn't seem to be expecting a request like this.

The girl cast her aquamarine eyes towards Takumi. "You remember, right? The Digimon that helped me in Cron. Agumon and Gabumon. That's all I want you to do," she began to plead to him. "No matter what else happens. No matter what! I'm really worried about them!" She frowned at herself. "But it's too dangerous for me to go searching around Cron all by myself and I'm scared. So please!" she closed her eyes. "Help me!"

"Nokia…" Takumi gave her a sympathetic frown.

"It's a request—I mean, a case for you," Nokia said, knitting her eyebrows together.

"Her attachment is interesting," Kyoko chuckled. "It's almost as great as yours," she nodded at her assistant.

Takumi sheepishly smiled at that and shrugged. "Well… given my circumstances…"

"Well, she asked for you specifically," Kyoko seriously stated. "I'm inclined to leave it to you. What do you say?"

"Of course I accept," the boy adamantly nodded. "I'm a Cyber Sleuth after all."

"Really?" Nokia brightened at hearing his answer. "You'll help me? Yes!"

"Hmm," Kyoko proudly nodded to her assistant. "If you've taken on this job, be sure to see it through to the end. It'll reflect on the agency's reputation. She'll probably be good advertising for us."

"Kyoko-san…!" Takumi frowned at his employer's intentions. "Is that what you're really thinking about at a time like this?"

Nokia didn't seem to mind though. "Okay, for starters, I want to go back to where we logged out before," she said as she got to her feet. "There's a lot I need to prepare too, so let's meet in Cron, okay?"

"Sure, at Galacta Park. Just like before," Takumi nodded.

"Okay, I'll see you later, then," the girl started for the door. "But don't be late this time, all right?"

As soon as she left, Kyoko let out an amused chuckle. "From missing persons to missing Digimon. Perfect cases for a Cyber Sleuth, no?"

"I guess," Takumi shrugged.

The detective chuckled as she returned to her desk. "Excellent. Get started with your investigation."

The detective's assistant nodded before noticing something different about the blonde woman. "You seem to be in a good mood today," he noted aloud.

"What's that? I seem happier than usual?" Kyoko turned to look at him. "If it's that obvious, I won't deny it," she smirked. "But, to be honest…" she brought her hand up to her mouth. "I'm a little perplexed by this offbeat case. Hunting for Digimon… People are totally careless when it comes to their affections, be they real or digital. It doesn't make any difference."

"I suppose…" Takumi frowned. "But that's what it means to be human."

The detective nodded in agreement. "This is going to be very interesting," she laughed to herself.

"Just what are you thinking of now?" her assistant wondered aloud. He shook his head though as he had work to do. "Well, if that's all, I'll be going."

Kyoko saw him off with a smirk. "Friend or not, a case is a case. Don't slack off."

* * *

Takumi frowned when he saw two hooded hackers approaching Nokia. He increased his pace and hurried over to her to make sure she wouldn't get herself into trouble.

"Hang on!" Nokia glared at the two Zaxon hackers. "What is it with you guys? Do you want something from me?"

One thug, wearing a blue vest, chuckled at her. "You got a nice one, don't ya?" he asked.

"What?" the girl blinked at him in confusion. "What do you mean 'a nice one'?"

The hacker's friend, wearing an orange vest, smirked. "Hey, you're gonna make us come out and say it? We're Zaxon hackers. You can figure out that much by yourself, right?" He shook his head. "You're not a kid, after all."

"Not a kid?" Nokia knit her eyebrows together in confusion. "What?" She frantically shook her head. "You're kidding me! Whoa, h-hey, hang on! Could you not stare at me like that? It's giving me the creeps!"

"What?" both hackers backed up from her in confusion.

"Wait, this…" the girl's face went red. "This isn't what flirting is supposed to be, is it? Ick! No way!" She shook her head in disgust. "Ew, ew, ew!"

The blue-vested hacker shook his head. "Wait, what are you talking about?"

"Nokia!" Takumi called out to her.

Nokia shrieked a little as he surprised her. "Hang on. Takumi?" She crossed her arms and glared at him. "Where were you!? You're late! And because you were late, look at this situation I'm in!" she pointed at the two hackers frowning at her with lost expressions on their faces. "They've got me dead-to-rights here! Who knows what they'll do to me?"

The orange-vested hacker shook his head. "What the hell are you talking about? And who the hell are you?" he glared at Takumi. "A friend of hers?"

"I'm also a Cyber Sleuth, so I would think twice about hacking our accounts if I were you," Takumi warned.

"Oh-ho!" the delinquent hacker looked the teen over. "You want to get into it? All righty, then," he shrugged. "I'll rip the two of you apart, real simple!"

The blue-vested thug laughed. "Your accounts, now!"

"Gazimon Claw!"

Takumi's eyes widened as he quickly pushed Nokia out of the way of a grey Digimon he's never encountered before. "Look out!" he cried as the Digimon jammed its long claws into the ground.

Nokia screamed when a black wolf suddenly appeared before her. "What…!?"

"Garurumon (Black), guard Nokia!" Takumi ordered as he sensed there was another Digimon about to attack them. "There's a PicoDevimon at your five!"

The large Digimon snarled as he quickly turned to pounce on the flying bat-like Digimon. "Freeze Fang!" he yelled as he bit into the small Digimon.

Takumi quickly scanned the field for the first Digimon, but frowned when his Digivice couldn't pick up its signal. It did manage to analyze it though so Takumi quickly rotated his team in preparation for the Gazimon. "Yukidarumon! Galgomon! On your guards!" Positioning himself between both Vaccine Digimon, he rapidly searched the park and noticed the ground partially flicker. _Did it hide underground?_

The orange-vested hacker crossed his arms and smirked at the red-haired sleuth. "Alright, Gazimon! Take them down in your Pitfall!"

"Garurumon (Black)!" Takumi called out.

His Digimon quickly grabbed Nokia and jumped to safety before the ground could collapse beneath them. Nokia quickly shook her head in protest. "H-hey! Wait! Takumi!"

The Cyber Sleuth carefully balanced himself on the unstable ground and used himself to lure out the Gazimon. The feline rabbit jumped out with a fierce growl. "Gazimon Claw!"

Takumi swiftly dodged out of the way and called out to his other two Digimon. "Let's go!"

"Dum Dum Upper!"

"Zettai Reido Punch!"

The Gazimon was knocked out of the pit and landed at his hacker's feet. "Aw, nuts!" the thug cried out, recalling his fallen Digimon. "We won't forget this!"

Takumi climbed out of the pitfall and watched as both hackers ran away. He smiled at his Digimon and thanked them for a job well done before turning towards Nokia. "Are you okay?" He frowned as he looked back towards the direction they two boys disappeared off to. "I didn't expect Zaxon hackers to still be out doing account raids…"

"Oh, man!" Nokia crossed her arms. "What's a Zaxon? Are all hackers like that? Coming on to you suddenly? Looking at you luridly? Going after you all lustfully like that?"

"H-huh…?" the Cyber Sleuth frowned at her in confusion.

"They really suck!" the girl stomped her foot. "Doesn't matter how much I'm rockin' this bod," she posed.

"They weren't coming on to you," Takumi tried to explain. "They were trying to hack your account just now."

"Huh?" Nokia blinked at him, not understanding. "What about just now? They weren't flirting with me? They were account raiders?"

"Exactly," the redhead nodded.

"Account raiders, huh?" Nokia frowned. "Like the kind you hear about on the news? I guess I remember hearing that there's a lot of that going around in Cron. So that means…" she nervously looked around them, "that there are a lot of hackers like the ones we just ran into?"

"That's right," Takumi stated, glad she was beginning to understand.

"In other words, my…" the girl shakily began, "my virtue was at risk?"

Takumi groaned. "Like I said, they weren't flirting…"

"Oh, my!" Nokia clung onto his arm. "Takumi! Y-y-you'll keep me safe, right? Pleeeease!?" she begged.

"Well, of course," he nodded. Seeing that she was still a bit uncomfortable being in Cron, Takumi placed his hands at his hips and gave her a bold smile. "Don't worry, Nokia. I'll protect you!"

"Don't tell me…" the girl backed away from him. "You're hitting on me now?"

"Who knows?" he laughed as he started off without her.

* * *

Both teens searched the abandoned logout point. Takumi shook his head as there was still no sign of Agumon and Gabumon from the last time he was here. It was a bit worrying though as this was where they previously saw them. _Maybe that monster really did get them?_ Takumi quickly dismissed such thoughts before returning to Nokia's side. "Any sign of them?"

Nokia frowned and shook her head. "I guess they're not on level one…" She quickly cheered herself up though and decided to check somewhere else. "Well, no problem! We'll just keep going!"

Takumi nodded as he led her back to the lift. "Going up," he grinned. "Watch your step, Nokia," he warned her. "The Digimon here are a bit tougher than the first levels."

"So… this is Cron's second level?" Nokia asked looking around. "Seems like the security level is higher here…" she nodded. "I'm counting on you, okay?"

"Sure," the Cyber Sleuth smiled as he took the lead. He pet Garurumon (Black)'s side and Nokia curiously watched the rest of his Digimon obediently follow behind her.

"Hey, Takumi?"

"Hm?" the boy looked back at her but kept continuing forward.

"Even though you're a hacker, you don't really do any of that illegal stuff, right?"

"Eh?" Takumi stopped before blinked at her in surprise. "Why would you ask me that? Of course, I don't." He fondly smiled at Garurumon (Black) and the wolf affectionately nuzzled the boy with his snout. "Besides, I can't really go around committing crimes if I'm a Cyber Sleuth."

"That's right," Nokia crossed her arms and crookedly smirked at her friend. "You're a 'Cyber Sleuth'… I still don't really get it. Aren't you just a normal detective's assistant?"

"I wouldn't say 'normal'," he chuckled in response.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Takumi paused and stared at her seriously. "Oh, never mind," he shook his head. "I probably shouldn't say anything."

"What?" Nokia frowned at him. "Hey, we're best friends, aren't we? We always tell each other everything! Tell me, tell me, tell me! What's the big secret?"

The Cyber Sleuth studied her for a moment before giving her a trusting smile. "Well, because it's you, sure. So do you remember that monster thing we faced in Cron?" he asked as they started walking again.

"Y-yeah…" the girl wore an uncertain grin.

"I don't know what happened but after you and Arata logged out, I tried to follow you guys. It must have gotten me just as I logged out, but now, I have a half-cyber body while my actual body is in the hospital."

"What!?" Nokia shook her head in disbelief. "But you're right here in front of me! How are you going to get your body back?"

"I'm not sure," Takumi shrugged. "That's why I'm working for Kyoko-san. In exchange for her taking on my case, I'm to be her assistant."

"Oh…" the girl frowned at him. "So that's it…"

"It's not so bad," the boy quickly shook his head and smiled. "It's actually a lot of fun! Besides, Kyoko-san really thinks I can become a specialist in cyber crime thanks to my ability to Connect Jump."

"Connect… Jump?"

Takumi nodded. "I can directly connect into any digital network with this body," he told her.

"Huh…" Nokia smiled at him. "Well, I guess you seem fine with it."

"Of course I am," her friend cheerfully laughed. "Anyway," he noticed they reached the end of Cron's second level, "it's time I got back to work."

The red-haired girl blinked as she looked around the area. "Not on level two either?" she sighed. "Then… nothing else to do but level three… Yay," she weakly cheered.

"Come on," Takumi chuckled. "We'll find them for sure. We can't give up just yet."

* * *

Nokia frowned when they accessed the third level of Cron. She cautiously took a look of their surroundings before stopping. Takumi paused too and turned to give her a questioning glance. The girl shook her head at him. "Hey, do you come to Cron often?" she asked him.

"Often enough," he replied, "but I've never been on this level before."

"I was thinking earlier…" Nokia frowned. "Cron has this sort of dangerous vibe to it. How can I put it? It's just weird or something. The one thing that really struck me after coming here was how dangerous hackers really are," she said with a nervous smile. "I'm so glad you came along when you did."

Takumi smirked back. "Well, it is my job to—"

"Ack, whoa!" the girl cried out of nowhere.

"Huh? What is it!?" Takumi whirled around, prepared to have his Digimon attack whatever it was and protect them.

"Yikes, did you see something over there just now?" She haphazardly pointed in multiple directions, confusing the boy. "You saw it, right? You had to have seen it! I just caught a glimpse of it, but it was there!"

"I… didn't see anything…" he sighed as he took a good look around him.

"Don't tell me there was nothing there!" Nokia glared at him. "It was absolutely there! I swear I'm not lying!"

"I'm not saying you're lying," Takumi shook his head. "I'm just saying I didn't see it."

"It was there!"

"Okay, but _I_ —"

"I saw it!"

Takumi closed his eyes and groaned. He took in a deep breath before opening his eyes again. "Where did it go?" he asked with a sigh.

Nokia looked around and pointed at a spot further back. "So I was over there and it was there. Wait…" she paused as she walked to another spot. "No, I was here and it was there, right?"

The boy smacked his palm to his forehead. "Nokia… what did it look like?"

"What?" she blinked at him. "Well, I… It was just for a second, so I don't know the size or shape, but, but…" She flashed the boy a wry grin. "I was so scared I guess I plum forgot," she let out a sheepish laugh.

"Eh…" Takumi stared at her in disbelief. _Did she just make herself forget?_

"Hey, come on," Nokia nervously smiled. "Don't give me that look. I don't need your pity." She shook her head. "But really! I really saw it! Or… I mean I'm pretty sure I did…" With each passing second, she became more and more unsure of herself. "Did I really just imagine it?"

 _Well, I believed her but…_ Takumi sighed. "I didn't see anything," he repeated himself.

"Well, let's just say it was nothing, then," Nokia stated. "If you're willing to go with me on that!"

"Sure…" As he turned away from her, he closed his eyes and shook his head. _You completely missed the point, but okay…_

"Yes, I totally overreacted," Nokia frowned. "I'm sorry for causing a commotion."

"It's fine, Nokia," Takumi flashed her a reassuring smile. "Just keep calm and we'll find them."

* * *

Takumi crossed his arms when he saw a hacker standing in the way in the path leading deeper into the area. He paused when Nokia walked straight past him to speak with said hacker. "Nokia! H-hey!"

"Uh, hi, hi!" the girl crookedly smiled at the capped hacker. "If I could just… scooch past," she giggled. "Thanks!"

The man shushed her. "I'm trying to focus!"

Seeing the man wasn't dangerous, Takumi decided to relax. "What's wrong?"

"I've been working on solving this puzzle for ages," the man explained. "Aaaaages… I'm so close."

"Uh… Sure…" Nokia crossed her arms. "That's totally healthy. What's the puzzle, anyhow?"

"One of the most troubling ones of our time: How…" the man paused for dramatic effect, "do I get a girlfriend?"

"That's it?" Takumi asked.

"Oh…" Nokia frowned. "OH! Yeah, well, that's tough." She tried to sneak past the hacker again. "I kinda totally gotta go though and—"

"It's more than tough!" the hacker cried. "It's ridiculous! I'm almost thirty and have freakin' no one! You don't know my pain. You'll never know my pain… Just… let me alone with my sorrow," he sobbed. "One day. One day I will find my way… to a super-hot chick!"

Nokia backed away from him and returned to Takumi's side. "Well… that guy's got some core problems that need working out, but I think we need to focus on finding Agumon and Gabumon."

"Why don't you agree to go out with him so he'll get out of the way?" Takumi jokingly asked. "Ow!" He winced as the girl hit him. "Either way, he's not going to move unless we do _something_."

The girl looked at the man with a strange mixture of pity and disgust. The man frowned at the teens pleadingly before Nokia caved. "Fine… Fine, fine, fine! I'll help. Let's go around asking for advice or something." She frowned at the older hacker. "Stay around Cron though. It's already crazy enough as it is, I don't wanna have to go hunting around for you."

"I still think it'd be easier for us if you went out with him," Takumi chuckled as he ducked Nokia's fist.

* * *

Takumi paused as he saw two hackers talking. "Hey, how'd you meet your girl?" the first hacker asked his friend. "She is… Wow…"

The second hacker rubbed the back of his neck and laughed. "Come on. Let's talk about something else. It's kinda embarrassing." He sighed when his friend wouldn't let up. "We…" he began with a weak chuckle, "we met through our Digimon. See, we both had the same one and… Well, it just happened."

"Wait for real?" his friend blinked. "Digimon'll get you some chicks!?"

"Digimon…?" The eavesdropping redhead crossed his arms. Takumi shook his head to himself before walking away. He looked around Cron and noticed Nokia was harassing a hacker on how to score girls.

"Hot friends!" she ecstatically nodded. "Got it!"

Takumi returned to her side and patted the Digimon he had assigned to guard her. "Are you ready, Nokia?"

"Mm-hmm!" the girl brightly nodded. "I've got tons of good info!"

The pair returned to the hacker obstructing their path but Takumi noticed he was intently glaring at empty space. "Um…" the boy began. "Excuse me?"

"I told you. Don't talk to me!" the man shushed him. "I've almost figured it out… almost…!"

"Still trying to figure out how to try to get a girlfriend?" the redhead sighed.

"Yes—exactly! How DO I get a girlfriend?" the man nodded. "That's what I want to know more than anything! What do I do…? What do I dooo?" he wailed.

Nokia brightly came up with a suggestion. "A speed dating mixer!"

"Huh?" the man blinked at her. "I should try speed dating?"

"Yup!" she nodded. "It's all about what happens after the speed date. Whether it's a hook-up or a flop is up to you!"

"N-no," the hacker groaned. "Why would you even say that? I need a pure, simple love… Something as trashy as speed dating would never do the trick!"

"You can at least try to smile!" the girl scolded him. She quickly flashed him her biggest grin. "A cheery smile is number one!"

"Huh? I should just try smiling? Like this…?" the man tried to mimic her smile. "Cheeeeese?"

Nokia's smirk fell as she looked away from the man. "Well, not in every case…"

"You just looked at my face and thought I looked creepy!" the man complained. "Ugh, I knew this was wrong…"

"Then why don't you get a friend to introduce you to someone hot!" Nokia said with a certain nod.

The man gave her a deadpan frown. "I have no friends…"

"Well, I'm trying to help you here, you—"

"Nokia," Takumi cut in, "don't you think you're both going about this all the wrong way?" The two looked at him strangely.

"What do you mean?" Nokia frowned.

"You need to start somewhere when building a relationship, so what better place than a shared hobby or interest?" the Cyber Sleuth explained. "I overheard a hacker talking about how he met his girlfriend through their interest in Digimon. The two of them were raising the same breed of Digimon and that's how they met. It was a sign that they had something in common, right?"

"Digimon?" the man blinked at the boy's profound wisdom. "A shared interest in Digimon can create a lasting bond with a woman?"

"That's not what I—"

"That… that… that's it!" the man jumped up with a laugh. "That is how I can find a real, true love!" He raised an arm to the air triumphantly. "I'm going to go capture all of the Digimon!"

"W-what!?" Takumi's eyes widened. "H-hey! You seriously missed the whole—"

The hacker warmly grabbed the boy's hand and shook it. "This is all thanks to you. Prepare yourself, Digimon!"

Takumi frowned to himself as he watched the man happily take off. "Hopefully he'll be a good tamer or else I'll have to deal with both him _and_ Mirei-san…" he sighed. He shook his head as that was a problem for another day. "At least the path is open now," he smiled. "Let's go, Nokia."

* * *

Nokia stopped walking as a thought came to her. "Oh yeah… Those two—the Digimon you helped told me something," she said, looking up towards Takumi with a gentle smile on her face. "They said that I smelled reassuring and familiar." Takumi blinked at her oddly and the girl shook her head as she didn't understand it either. "I wonder what that meant. Could it mean that I met them once before?"

"Reassuring and familiar?" the boy repeated as he leaned his face closer to Nokia.

"Wait, what are you doing?" Nokia asked him in surprise. "Why are you bringing your nose so close?"

"I'm curious as to what they smelled from you…" Takumi straightened up and frowned as he didn't notice anything strange.

"You were checking what I smelled like? Huh…" Nokia crossed her arms. "And? What did you smell?"

"A faintly sweet fragrance mixed with a vaguely sour smell," the Cyber Sleuth concluded.

"I see…" Nokia cautiously backed away from the odd boy. "Yeah… that's it…" She shook her head and looked further down the path. "You still haven't checked over there yet, right?"

"Not yet," Takumi shook his head. The two paused though when a familiar voice cried out.

"Hey! What are you doing?" the voice asked in panic.

"Knock it off!" another voice whimpered.

"Huh!?" Nokia tensed up. "Did you hear that voice?" she asked Takumi. "This time you really heard it, right?"

"Of course!" Takumi readied his goggles. "It sounds like Agumon and Gabumon are in trouble."

"That voice… It has to be!" the girl nodded as she let him take the lead.

* * *

Nokia spotted the two Digimon being harassed by a pair of hackers wearing Zaxon vests. "I knew it!" she cried out. "It's my little Digimon pals! They must be in danger! Let's hurry!"

Takumi nodded to his team. "Everyone! Let's go!"

"Hooold on a second!" Nokia called out to the hackers. "What are you doing to those critters?"

Agumon and Gabumon brightened as soon as they saw her. "Nokia!?"

"Huh?" a blue-vested hacker turned around. He frowned at the two red-haired teens before speaking in a thick accent. "What're you gonna do about it? We found these things fair and square. That means we can do whatever we want with 'em. You got a problem with that?"

"As a matter of fact," Nokia glared at him, "I DO have a problem with it!" Her tiny body began to shake. "In fact, I've got nothing BUT problems! Are you ready for me, punks?

"Nokia…!?" Takumi looked at her in surprise.

"Nokia, you're so cool!" Agumon cheered her on.

"H-hey, don't encourage her!" Takumi shook his head.

A green-vested hacker crossed his arms as he looked Nokia over. "Oh really now? And what are you gonna do about these problems, hmmm? You know, you're almost my type, too," he smirked.

Nokia let out a shriek before and the first hacker immediately took advantage of her weakness. "What could you possibly do? We're Zaxon hackers!" Takumi narrowed his gaze on the two as they didn't seem like the type of hackers Yuugo would approve of. "Cross us and there's a thousand ways you'll live to regret it."

Nokia let out a shuddering breath and the green-vested hacker quickly picked up on her fear. "You talk big, but your body is telling another story," he laughed. "You're shaking like a leaf, ain't ya? Yeah," he nodded approvingly. "You really are my type, aren't you, hon?"

"You're barking up the wrong tree!" Nokia managed to stammer. "I've got a problem, but what's more…" she quickly pushed Takumi in front of her. "My friend has a problem with you! Ain't that right, Takumi?"

"Eh!?" Takumi blinked when he was suddenly shoved towards the hackers. The two hackers gave him confused frowns and Takumi closed his eyes. After a deep breath, he opened them again and nodded. "Of course I do if they plan to abuse the Digimon!"

"What was it you said? 'Don't worry, my dear Nokia! You leave those Zaxon thugs to me'!" Nokia smirked.

"Well, it is my job to protect you…" Takumi shrugged.

"Y-yes, well said, Takumi! You are truly worthy of being my pupil! Now, time to put those words into action!" she cheered him on.

Gabumon frowned at her. "Nokia, you're maybe not so cool after all."

The dangerous hacker in blue looked Takumi over. "What is this? Is it some kind of joke?" he laughed.

Takumi smirked at him as the Digimon behind him tensed up for battle. "Just wait until you hear the punch line."

The hacker shook his head. "I'm getting sick of this. We'll shred you both. We'll take your accounts and then rip you up." He called out two Digimon and Takumi quickly scanned them.

"Goburimon and BlackTailmon… Both Virus types," Takumi nodded. "Galgomon! First strike!"

"Gatling Arm!" the Beast Man Digimon jumped into the air and quickly rained bullets down onto the enemy.

"Living Shield!" Goburimon quickly protected himself with a magical wall.

Unfortunately for the BlackTailmon, it couldn't evade the attack in time and was quickly taken out. The Digimon's hacker shook his head in disbelief. "N-no way! There's a hacker this strong outside of Zaxon?" He grit his teeth and yelled out new commands to the other Digimon. "Rush them with your club!"

Goburimon let out a roar and started running towards Takumi's Garurumon (Black). The redhead shook his head as he quickly called out a counter. "Wolf Cry!" The wolf howled, stunning the Virus Digimon with a powerful shockwave. "Yukidarumon! Go!"

"Zettai Reido Punch!" the large snowman sent Goburimon flying into his tamer, ending the battle.

Takumi smirked at the results. "So how's that for a joke?"

Nokia stared at the Cyber Sleuth in amazement. "Wow! Y-you were really something just there! I have nothing further to teach you, my pupil."

"I'll take that as praise then," the other teen smiled, placing his hands on his hips.

"But enough of that for now!" Nokia exclaimed turning on the two hackers. "We gotta get to the Digimon!"

"Yeah!" the Cyber Sleuth nodded. He was about to take a step forward when a voice began speaking from behind him.

"Non, non, non… You kids… don't rock!"

"Huh?" Nokia blinked as she thought she recognized the voice from somewhere.

"That voice!" one of the hackers cried out.

"It's Jimiken-san!" his friend nodded in surprise.

"What? Jimiken?" the girl was taken aback. "THE Jimiken?"

"Jimiken…?" Takumi turned to see what the fuss was about.

A man with long wavy black hair and painted face rolled in while playing the air guitar. "Yeow!" he cried out. "I. Am. JIMIKEN! Yahooo!"

"Eh…? Jimiken is a clown?" the Cyber Sleuth stared at the strange man.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Jimiken shook his head as he studied the two defeated hackers. "HEY, HEY, HEY! You kids, you aren't rad at all! What happened to make you so un-hip? Tell me, please, like as soon as poss!"

"So sorry, Jimikien-san!" the green-vested hacker apologized. He quickly pointed over to Nokia. "That girl's totally my type and she stole my heart."

"Wow! An excuse!" Jimiken shook his head. "Totally not rockin'. So far from rock 'n' roll! Right?" He paused for a moment. "If I had to choose lyrics to suit you… 'Inside out, you worthless lout, even the heavens are gonna give up on you!' It's perfect for you, makes me wanna puke," he said, crossing his arms into an 'X' in front of his chest. "Are you feeling me?"

"We feel you!" the blue-vested hacker nodded with a smile.

"Well, then. Ooo-kay!" Jimiken exclaimed with a satisfied smirk. He next focused his attention onto the two teens staring at him. One had a blank expression on his face, while the other wore one of horror. "Now then, you two. You little fools took a hand to these punks?"

Nokia slowly found her voice. "But why, Jimiken, why?"

"A foolish question, that," Jimiken said, bringing a hand up to his forehead. "Very foolish! So foolish, it rox my soxx! I maybe be a superstar! Ooh! But I have one more face! Oooooh!"

"What?" Nokia frowned at him, slightly confused.

"To the world I am a superstar!" he explained. "But behind the scenes, I'm a top-ranking member of the Zaxon hacker team! What do you think of that?" he sternly gazed at them as he flashed them hand horns.

"Ah…" Takumi frowned, crossing his arms. "I figured Yuugo wouldn't be able to handle a team that large on his own… So you're an admin…"

"It rocks!" the blue-vested hacker fist-pumped. "It's the devil's rock 'n' roll!"

"Yeah, baby!" Jimiken exclaimed. He shook his head though as it seemed the two red-haired teens didn't understand his vision. "But you two! Why give them a hard time over a little thing like Digimon? It's kinda rad but…" he chuckled.

"If you're going to misuse Digimon, it's my job as Cyber Sleuth to intervene," Takumi seriously stated.

"You're kidding, right?" Jimiken sneered at him. "You've gotta be joking. Wait, could you two possibly be…" he chuckled and brought his hand up to his face, "folks who like to say pets are family?"

"There's nothing wrong with that," the Cyber Sleuth shook his head.

"You want to save the world with love?" the singer shook his head at him. "Folksy people like that are still around, I guess. Are you feeling me?"

"Not really," Takumi blinked at him.

"Just knock it off," Nokia shook her head at the rock star. "My MP is way down. It's been at zero for a while." She turned to her friend with a look of broken disappointment on her face. "To think of all my hard-earned money, wasted. Ohhh, I wanna just curl up and die."

"What?" Jimiken frowned at her. "Wasted money on me? You want a fight with me? It's not rock if I don't answer your challenge! My style is to go easy on no one, even scum."

"You're rockin' it too much, Jimiken!" one of the hackers stated in awe of the singer.

"Yee-hawww!" the other hacker fist-pumped. "Knock 'em sideways, Jimiken!"

"Whoa!" Nokia froze up.

Gabumon looked up at her in curious concern. "Nokia is really out of it. What happened to her?"

"Let's try cheering her on," Agumon suggested. "Uh, go for it, Nokia!"

"Sorry… Agumon… Gabumon…" the girl turned to them with an apologetic smile. "I can't… keep… going… There's no way I can stand up to his Dream Crush attack."

Takumi looked back towards her with a crooked smirk on his face. "Dream… Crush…?"

Jimiken let out an ecstatic cry. "I found a weakness!" he cried out as he began to air guitar. His Digimon appeared behind him and rushed towards the girl.

Sensing the incoming attack, Takumi immediately called out for his team to intercept the attacks. Galgomon, Yukidarumon, and Garurumon (Black) protected Nokia just in time, but the attacks of the enemy had been more powerful than they had anticipated. "Ah! Everyone!"

Jimiken let out a wild laugh. "Devimon! Death Claw!"

The dark demon Digimon smiled as he reached his hand out to puncture Garurumon (Black)'s body. Takumi shook his head. "Galgomon!"

"Dum Dum Upper!" The Vaccine Digimon slammed his Gatling arm into Devimon's hand, pushing it away.

Takumi's eyes darted to the two flaming Digimon flanking Devimon and saw them both simultaneously prepare an attack. His eyes widened as his Digivice notified him that they were Data types. "Yukidarumon! Switch out!"

"Crimson Flame!" both fiery humanoids roared.

"Foxfire!"

"Exhaust Flame!"

"Ah! Meramon!" Jimiken was surprised by Growmon's sudden appearance. The red dinosaur roared as he aided Garurumon (Black) in countering Meramon's flames. The rock star frowned when both Viruses charged straight into his Digimon.

"Keep it up, Galgomon!" Takumi called out to the Vaccine Digimon.

"Dum Dum Upper!" Galgomon struck Devimon square in the jaw before jumping backwards. "Gatling Arm!"

"Leather Wing!" Devimon flapped his wings, hoping to blast Galgomon away, but the Beast Man Digimon spread his ears, using them as pseudo-wings to adjust his position in the air. "Hell Contract!" A string of strange letters appeared and wrapped themselves around Galgomon, confusing him.

Takumi flinched when his own Digimon began firing at Garurumon (Black). "Galgomon, snap out of it!"

Garurumon (Black) snarled at the attack and quickly turned away from the Meramon he had been fighting. He quickly lunged at Devimon and opened his mouth wide. "Freeze Fang!"

Devimon growled as he tried to through the wolf off of him. Jimiken frowned but decided to use the mess to his advantage. "Meramon! Finish off that bunny!"

Takumi frowned. "Growmon! Defend him!"

"Burning Fist!" Both Meramon roared.

"Plasma Blade!" Growmon swung his forearm's blade at one Meramon before swinging his tail into the other. "Dragon Spine!"

"Foxfire!" Garurumon (Black) continued to distract Devimon while Takumi took the time to approach Galgomon.

He took out a recovery ship and applied it on his Digimon. "Alright, you're set! Growmon! Garurumon (Black)! Round them up! Xros Combo!"

Growmon roared as he lifted both Meramon and tossed them towards Devimon. He opened his mouth and took in a deep breath. "Fire Blaster!"

Garurumon (Black) jumped into the air. "Ice Cannon!"

"Gatling Arm!" Galgomon took aim and fired.

Jimiken watched as his three Digimon collapsed, unable to get back up. He nervously laughed and shook his head. "What's this? These Digimon are useless! They're too lame! This doesn't rock!"

"It's not the Digimon's fault!" Nokia glared at him as she noticed that throughout the battle, Takumi's Digimon seemed more willing to respond and react to his orders than Jimiken's. "You're the lame one!"

"Whoa! The fury of the flowerbed!" Jimiken backed away from her. "So ya know, I ain't even gotten serious yet!"

"Oh? An encore?" Takumi smirked as he prepared his Digimon for another round.

"Was that a prelude? Or were we just tuning up?" Jimiken smirked at him. "Well, I've got a more powerful Digimon next. It's sure to get you headbanging, ya heard?"

"It doesn't matter," the redhead smirked back. "I'll make it so you won't get a standing ovation."

Jimiken readied his Digivice, but a voice suddenly called out to both battling hackers. "Enough. Stop this now."

Takumi turned towards whoever it was and blinked in surprise. "Yuugo!" He frowned though as there was a strange girl following the Zaxon leader. _I've never met her before…_

The two hackers following Jimiken tensed up in fear. "Yikes!"

"Oh, this ain't good!"

They quickly ran away, leaving Jimiken to face their leader on his own. The man didn't seem too fazed though as he smirked at the light-haired boy. "Hey, hey, hey! What a coincidence, running into you here like this," he chuckled, "leader of Team Zaxon, Yuugo-san."

"Huh?" Nokia looked at the stoic boy in surprise.

Yuugo placed his right hand on his hip and shook his head at Jimiken. "No more of this high-handed foolishness. Your style has led the group too far astray."

"What?" Jimiken laughed at the boy's serious tone. "You might be the team leader, but you think you can just tell me what to do when I'm your buddy and one of your top dawgs? You lording your power over me? Forcing your hand?"

The girl beside Yuugo narrowed her eyes on him, but Yuugo shook his head at her. The powerful hacker coolly stared at Jimiken. "Zaxon's rules must never be broken," he calmly stated.

"Rules?" the man mockingly repeated. "Those have long gone by the wayside, baby! Of course," he laughed, "it was me who got rid of most of them. Rock 'n' rooooolllll!"

The strange girl crossed her arms and frowned at the man's flagrant disrespect. "This is how y'all are gonna talk to yer leader?"

"Oh, look, Fei-sama has come all this way," Jimiken shrugged. "For little ol' me, eh?"

"I'll say this one more time," Yuugo calmly spoke. "Zaxon's rules—"

Jimiken broke out into laughter. "You're kidding, right? You big kidder, you! It's a rockin' joke. I'm tellin' you! Super hacker Yuugo-san's gonna set me straight? No way! No way, no how!" He shook his head at the boy. "You're gonna ice me for real? Have your 'lover' there do it for you, I suppose?"

Fei chuckled at that. Takumi noticed she seemed to be looking forward to being rid of the foolish man, but he said nothing as he watched the power struggle continue to unfold before him.

"It's allll a big joke!" Jimiken exclaimed. "Just a joke! Like, why so serious, amirite?" He shook his head as he had enough of all this. "All right. I'm gonna jet here in a bit. I've got shows and gigs and all that to do! Buh-byyye!" He ran off with a cackling laugh.

Yuugo and Takumi both closed their eyes and took a deep breath. Takumi quickly opened his first though when he sensed Fei coming towards him and Nokia. The brunette frowned at them both. "So, uh, how long are y'all gonna just stand there lookin' stupid?"

"What?" Nokia wryly smiled at her.

Takumi raised an eyebrow at her. "So you're another admin of Zaxon?" he guessed.

Fei didn't answer his question as she continued to study them. "I don't know what hacker group y'all're in, but we'll overlook this for now. Go on, now. Git."

"What?" Nokia crossed her arms.

Fei looked over towards Agumon and Gabumon and smiled at them. "Hey, look at the sweet Digimon! Can I have 'em?" She started towards them, but Nokia quickly ran forward to protect her two friends.

"You think you can just show up and say that?" she defiantly asked. "As if! I'm not giving them to you!"

"Nokia!" Takumi ran in between the girls. "This isn't a fight you should be getting yourself into!"

Fei curiously looked the boy over. "Really? You wanna have a go with me, precious?"

The Cyber Sleuth shook his head. "I'd rather not since I have no reason to, but I will if I have to," he calmly stated.

"Ain't that just fine and dandy!" she smirked. "Makes me all warm and fuzzy! I'll take right good care of y'all."

"Enough, Fei," Yuugo finally spoke. "This is a pointless argument. Let's go."

Takumi relaxed as at least Yuugo understood the situation. "Yuugo…"

The light-haired boy didn't respond as he walked away. Fei turned towards him and frowned. "Aww, shucks. And I was just feelin' purdy good about it, too." She shook her head before looking back towards Takumi and Nokia. "We'll probably have the chance to meet all y'all again sometime, so don't forget us, hear?" She narrowed her eyes on Nokia. "I know I ain't forgettin' that face! See y'all later!"

"Who the heck was that?" Nokia asked with a glare. She growled a bit before she noticed Agumon jumping behind her.

"Hooray, it's Nokia!" he cried out. "Nokia came for us!"

"Thank you for saving us!" Gabumon bowed to her.

Nokia frowned at that and sheepishly looked over towards Takumi. "Oh, I didn't do anything. If you want to thank someone, thank Takumi." She pushed her friend forward.

"Eh?" the redhead blinked in surprise.

"Both Digimon gratefully smiled at him. "Thank you!"

Takumi smiled back at that and nodded. "No problem. I'm just glad things worked out."

"Even still," Nokia frowned, "this place gives me the creeps. Let's get out of here for now."

* * *

Nokia let out a sigh of relief when they all returned to Galacta Park. "I feel much better back here, don't you?"

Takumi stared at the decrepit park around them. "If you say so…" he said with a light smirk.

The girl giggled before kneeling before the two Digimon they just rescued. "Aw, Agumon, Gabumon! I'm glad you're okay!"

"But how did you guys end up in Cron's third level?" Takumi asked.

Agumon laughed a bit as Gabumon spoke. "We felt like seeing you again. So we came looking for you! That's when we ran into those scary guys. They chased us off!"

"That was a close one," Agumon sighed. "If they'd captured us, we'd be doomed."

"No kidding," Takumi nodded.

"Um…" Nokia frowned at that. "I don't really understand this very well yet, but… Weren't Digimon like you…? I mean, aren't you programs created by hackers?"

Takumi and the two Digimon blinked at her in surprise. The boy tilted his head to the side. "Eh?"

Agumon stared at her blankly. "You think that we…"

"…were created by humans?" Gabumon finished.

The three began laughing and Nokia stared at them in surprise. "Huh? Wait, what's the deal? Did I say something that you and Digimon find funny?" she asked Takumi.

Gabumon chuckled some more. "She said it, didn't she?"

"Yeah, she did! She did!" Agumon nodded. "She said that humans created us!"

"Huh? We didn't?" Nokia asked.

"Nokia, come on!" Agumon began. "Of course you didn't! We're alive same as you, aren't we? Just look at us! It should be obvious."

"Yeah," Takumi nodded. "How else did you think my Digimon get so strong?" the Cyber Sleuth smiled. "It's because our bonds are so powerful that we can't lose."

Nokia smiled at that. "Yeah, well," she nodded to Agumon and Gabumon. "I get that you're alive! Just like we are. Sure!"

"Check this, Nokia," Gabumon began. "We come from a different world than the one you humans know."

"A 'different world'?" The girl was taken aback by this startling fact, but Takumi calmly crossed his arms.

"The Digital World…" he remembered Mirei telling him once.

Gabumon was surprised Takumi already knew about it. "Uh-huh. That's what we call it!"

"The Digital World?" Nokia frowned in confusion.

Takumi brought his gloved hand to his chin and closed his eyes. "What can you tell us about the Digital World?" he asked.

"Normally, the Digital World where Digimon live and the human world aren't connected," Agumon explained. "But something happened and now the two worlds come together from time to time."

"That's why there are so many Digion wandering about, lost in your world," Gabumon nodded. "Those scary guys capture Digimon and force them to do whatever they're ordered to do!"

"We can only exist in digital space," Agumon added. "But nearly all the digital space in the human world was created by humans. That might be why we get mistaken for programs made by humans."

The two Digimon smiled at the humans. "Well? Do you understand?" the simultaneously asked.

"Uh, yes, I do. I see. I think…" Nokia turned towards Takumi as he opened his eyes again. The girl crossed her arms and flashed him a shaky smile. "How about you? Did you follow that?"

"Digimon are inhabitants of the Digital World," Takumi nodded. "And the Digimon we see here, like Agumon and Gabumon, are lost in this world."

"Well," Agumon shook his head, "Me and Gabumon are different. We came to this world of our own free will."

"There's something we need to do here," Gabumon nodded.

"Something you need to do?" Nokia asked. "What would that be?"

Gabumon frowned as he tried to recall their reason for leaving the Digital World. "That would be…" the Digimon fell silent and shook his head.

"Oh? Something you can't talk about?" Nokia nervously smiled. "Could it be maybe… world domination?"

"Th-that's not it," Agumon crossed his arms.

"The truth is… we can't remember," Gabumon admitted.

"Huh?" Nokia stared at them sympathetically.

"Ah…" Takumi pensively nodded. "Another case of amnesiac Digimon… You both lost some memories when coming over to this world, didn't you? You even forget the reason why you came…"

Agumon nodded. "It must have been very important, too."

"What did we come here for?" Gabumon asked.

Takumi sighed when he didn't know enough quite yet to help them. "I'm sorry, you two… I don't think it'll be easy finding that answer."

"Agumon… Gabumon…" Nokia sadly frowned at them. She shook her head and put on a wide smile for them. "It's gonna be okay! Trust me! You'll remember it soon! I'm sure of it! And I can help you! Let's do our best to help each other out until you remember, okay?" she cheerfully grinned.

"Eh?" Takumi knit his eyebrows together at her before chuckling at her infectious energy. "Well, if it's a case about Digimon, I'm in too!" he nodded.

"Nokia!" Gabumon smiled at her.

"Thanks, Nokia!" Agumon nodded. "We'll do our best!" He paused though, before looking up at her in confusion. "So, what should we start doing our best at?"

"Um, right…" Nokia averted her gaze as she tried to come up with somewhere to start. "I kinda figured trying our best would be enough, for starters. Liking running toward a point on the horizon. Like feeling you could do anything with enough energy." She sighed.

Takumi chuckled. "You don't really know, do you, Nokia?"

She shrugged. "Let's start by doing our best to think about what we should do!" she decided.

"Okay, Nokia!" Agumon nodded. "I might not understand this, but I'm willing to do my best now!"

"I'll do my best, too!" Gabumon exclaimed. He suddenly became shy again and lowered his gaze. "So what do you say, Nokia? Can we stay with you?"

Nokia squealed at the two Digimon. "You're so cuuute! Of course you can! Let's be together forever!"

"You do know they'll be a huge responsibility," Takumi reminded her.

She nodded at him before grabbing the two Digimon's hands. "Agumon! Gabumon! Let's be besties from now on!"

"Yeah!" both Digimon cried out.

Takumi laughed at the trio. "Well, good luck, Nokia!" He paused when he sensed his Digivice about to ring. "Kyoko-san?"

Kyoko blinked at him at the odd timing he had. "Hmm. Looks like it's case closed, I guess. Good work out there," she nodded to him. "Normally, we'd go back to the agency, have some coffee, and I'd thank you. But I need you to head directly to Shinjuku."

"Eh? What happened?" Takumi asked.

"A mysterious incident has occurred in Shinjuku. Could you go and give me an eyewitness report?" Kyoko crossed her arms. "And if you could do it before the police arrive on the scene, that would be appreciated."

"Understood," her assistant nodded. "Just leave it to me." He cut the call and wryly smiled at Nokia. "Sorry, but…"

"I heard it all," the girl nodded in understanding. "You have to go right away, right? Thanks, Takumi! Without you, I wouldn't have been able to help my new Digimon pals." She gave him an encouraging smile. "It sounds like you've got a lot on your plate! Good luck in Shinjuku! And I'll do my best too!"

"Right!" Takumi nodded before taking off.

Nokia waved goodbye as her two new Digimon jumped up and down. "Thanks!" they cried. "See you soon!"

* * *

 **Final Notes:** Thus marks Nokia's first steps in becoming a Tamer. The first time I played, I didn't really like her. I thought she was annoying and useless since she was always a damsel in distress. Later on towards the latter half of the game, I learned to cope with her. On a second playthrough though, I actually discovered she's actually a well-written character. You can really track her growth throughout the game and towards the end, she really can hold her own alongside Takumi. Really, if Takumi weren't the protagonist, Nokia would be first runner up for that role and it really shows.


	6. Shinjuku Underground Labyrinth Incident

**Author's Notes:** This week is just full video game news for me. Apparently Atlus is doing a remake of Radiant Historia for the 3DS and well, that's just my absolute favorite game of all time. It won't be out until next year, but I hope it gets localized too.

* * *

Takumi noticed a crowd gathered around the station entrance in Shinjuku's underground area. He frowned as he tried to get a look at whatever it was that caught the people's attention. "What's happening on the other side of that crowd…?" he asked himself. He shook his head as he quickly hurried over. "Let's go!" As soon as Takumi got close enough, he noticed a massive pinkish purple distortion engulfing the station entrance. "Eh!?" He continued towards it but paused when a familiar voice chuckled behind him.

"Well, well… Aren't you something?"

Takumi turned around and blinked at who it was. "Arata!"

The taller boy nodded to him in greeting before looking at the station. "Do you have any idea what that is?"

"No," the Cyber Sleuth shook his head. "I plan on checking it out though."

"Yeah," Arata agreed. "This whole phenomenon's hard to wrap my head around. I've never seen anything like it. But still," he tilted his head to the side. "There's got to be a way for us to get inside it, wouldn't you think?"

"Would that be safe?" Takumi asked. Arata shrugged in response, but both boys prepared to enter anyways.

"Hey, you!" another familiar voice called out to them. "Stay right where you are!"

The teenagers turned around to see the female detective wearing cop clothes coming after them. "Ah… it's that lady again," Takumi blinked.

"One more step and I'll arrest the both of you!" the woman threatened them. She spotted the distortion behind them and frowned. "Huh!?"

"Tch," Arata crossed his arms. "This gal's the last thing we need right now."

"This is a crime scene," she explained to them, "and I won't have you messing with it!" She cracked her knuckles and glared at the boys. "The great Date Makiko isn't going to go easy on the punks responsible for this mess!"

"Maybe I should bail before this becomes a whole ordeal," Arata spoke mostly to himself.

"Hey, you!" Date yelled at the raven-haired boy. "I told you to freeze, didn't I!?" She paused though when she thought Arata seemed familiar. "Huh? I've seen you somewhere before. Yeah…" she scratched the back of her head as she tried to remember. "What was it? That one hacker team?"

"Zaxon?" Takumi frowned as he looked at his companion.

"Uh-oh!" Arata tensed up. He shook his head as he quickly started underground. "Come on! Let's bail!"

"Arata!?" Takumi watched the older boy take off past him. "Wait for me!"

"Hey!" Date frowned as they both headed towards the station entrance. "You stop right there!" She quickly went after them.

"Gotta find a way out of here," Arata looked around. He smirked as he eyed the flickering distortion. "Looks like this is the only way. Well, don't knock it 'til you've tried it, I guess…" he shrugged as he went inside without another thought.

"Arata!" Takumi tried to pull him back, but Date blew her whistle. The Cyber Sleuth shook his head as he decided to take the chance too. He frowned when he saw the older boy staring around the strange subway. "Don't just leave me behind like that!"

Arata shook his head at Takumi as he frowned at their surroundings. "Is this place real? Or digital?"

Takumi noticed it too and paused. He stared down at his body and sensed that the area's frequency matched well with his own. "Could it be… both?"

"What's going on?" the other boy asked. "This is too strange. It's like two worlds are intersecting." He nervously chuckled. "I can't make heads or tails of this."

"Intersecting?" Takumi knit his eyebrows together. _Could it be the Digital World?_

"I don't think there's anything wrong with my head," Arata noted as he brought his hand up to his forehead.

"No, I see it too," Takumi wryly smiled.

"At least the cops won't be after me here," Arata relaxed, putting his hands into his pockets.

Takumi closed his eyes and considered something. "I wonder what's back there."

"A demon or a snake," Arata smirked as he crossed his arms. "Let's think of a plan once we see it."

"Yeah," the redhead nodded. He paused though when he felt something coming at them. "Arata, look out!" he cried as he pushed the older boy out of the way. Takumi barely thought it and his team suddenly appeared to counter the wild Digimon that had ambushed them.

"Freeze Fang!" Garurumon (Black) growled as he tackled into the furry purple dinosaur dragon.

"Dum Dum Upper!" Galgomon tried to knock the other Digimon back, but the sturdy rock golem didn't seem too bothered by his uppercut.

"Gottsumon, Data Type," Takumi frowned. "So is the DORUmon," he shook his head. "Galgomon! Switch out with Guardromon! Growmon! Cover him!"

Growmon roared as he jumped into the air. "Dino Kick!" After stomping on Gottsumon, he whipped his tail at the enemy, sending it flying towards DORUmon.

Guardromon raised both his arms and finished them off. "Destruction Grenade!"

Arata stared at Takumi in amazement when the battle was over. After a while, he smirked as he asked the younger boy something. "Hey, which do you think a Digimon is more like? A demon or a snake?"

"Neither," Takumi shook his head. "But it is strange that they're showing up here."

The older boy nodded and crossed his arms, a serious frown on his face. "Since Digimon has turned up, this must be the Digital World, right? Yet this still feels very much like the Real World, right?"

"Yeah," the redhead brought his hand up to his mouth as he considered a reasonable explanation for the phenomenon.

"Well, we're not going to get anywhere by just thinking about it," Arata pointed out with a sigh. He looked further down the path and placed his hands in his pockets. "Regardless, these Digimon seem to be a bit on the wild and vicious side." He chuckled as he eyed Takumi's Digimon. "And so, knowing that's what they're like…" Takumi's eyes widened as Arata called out a Digimon of his own. "I made sure to get my hands on some slightly tougher Digimon. We never know when we might get attacked by something like that black one from the other day."

"But that wasn't a Digimon," Takumi reminded him. "The Digimon Capture program didn't react to it, remember?"

Arata shrugged. "Well, you've got your Digimon too, so the next time it crosses our path, we'll delete it for sure, yeah?"

Takumi placed his hands on his hips and closed his eyes. He took in a deep breath before wisely stating, "In battle, the careless lose first."

The raven-haired boy raised an eyebrow at him. "I'd thought this before, but you're strange. Sometimes I don't understand what you're saying."

"Eh…?" Takumi tilted his head to the side.

"Do you lack any sense of self-awareness or something?" Arata frowned. "Either way, I guess you're at least pretty fascinating," he chuckled.

"I just meant that we should be careful," the redhead stated. "You're just like Kyoko-san…" he paused as he was reminded of something. "Oh, before we go any further, let me try calling someone."

"Huh?" Arata crossed his arms and watched as Takumi opened up his Digivice menu. "What are you…?"

The blue-eyed boy sighed when his call failed to connect. He sighed but calmly closed his eyes. _The area must be interfering with communication. Now that I think about it, the atmosphere here feels a bit… different… But I don't really know how to explain it._

"Are you okay?" Arata asked him. "You've been quiet for a while now."

"Oh, sorry," Takumi said as he opened his eyes. "I just needed to report to the agency, but there's no connection."

"What?" the older boy frowned in confusion. "What are you talking about?" he asked with crossed arms. "What agency?"

The redhead placed his hands on his hips and smiled. "I'm working at a detective agency as a super cool Cyber Sleuth!"

"Super-cool?" Arata was a bit taken aback at that. "I mean, a Cyber Sleuth? A digital detective!?"

"Yup!" Takumi nodded. "It's a job only I can do!"

"Really? That's incredible," the raven-haired teen stared at the younger boy. "I don't quite get it, but it's incredible! You really are something, aren't you?"

"I guess…" the red-haired boy sheepishly looked away.

"No, that's…" Arata shook his head. "That wasn't a compliment."

"I'll take it as one anyways," Takumi chuckled. He paused though as he became serious. "But this is a real problem if I can't contact my boss. She was the one who told me to come here in the first place."

"Well, communication is out," the older boy frowned. "I've been trying for a while now too, and in here, there's no net connection at all. The Digital Wave must be unstable."

"Digital Wave?" Takumi knit his eyebrows together. "What's that?"

"No way," Arata raised an eyebrow at the younger boy. "You're gonna make me explain Digital Waves to you?"

"It'd be nice if you did," the blue-eyed boy crookedly smiled.

The taller teen shook his head. "Look it up later."

"You're as stingy with information as usual," Takumi chuckled. "But all right…"

"More importantly," Arata smirked, "Let's talk about this Cyber Sleuth thing. I want to hear more about that."

"Are you curious?" the younger boy raised an eyebrow at him.

"Don't get me wrong!" his friend cried. "It's not 'cause I think it's interesting or 'cause I want to try it out. It's just plain intellectual curiosity. A piqued interest." Arata studied Takumi intently. "It must be weird, though, being a Cyber Sleuth. What's it like? I've only read about it in comics."

"Comics?" Takumi blinked at the seemingly mature older boy. "You read comics, Arata?"

The taller teen suddenly tensed up. "Nope, that's enough. I've lost interest already," he said, looking away from the deceptively sharp redhead. He started down the stairs with a frown. "Tch…"

Takumi wordlessly followed after him but it didn't take long for Arata's curiosity to explode. The redhead jumped back as the older boy let out a frustrated yell. "Arata…?"

"Okay, I want to know!" Arata firmly cried out as he grabbed the shorter boy by his shoulders.

"Eh!?"

"Tell me more about it," he shook the teen. "What's it like being a Cyber Sleuth? What cases have you solved so far? And what's your boss like? Tell me everything."

"Arata…! At least let—" Takumi gasped as something flashed before his eyes. He managed to make out five children and again, he couldn't make out the details of their faces. _Still… they seem so familiar…_ he thought to himself. When the vision disappeared, he noticed Arata had let him go and was staring at him with wide eyes. "Arata?"

The older boy frowned and cast his gaze to the ground. "This is the same as the one from Cron the other day, right?"

"You saw it too?" Takumi asked. "What do you think—?" he paused as he noticed a ghostly boy resembling Yuugo behind Arata. "Ah!" Before he could point it out though, the boy walked away and disappeared.

Arata noticed the blue-eyed boy's gaze. "What is it? What happened?"

"I just saw the ghost boy behind you!" Takumi explained.

Curious, Arata turned around but saw nothing. "Hey, don't look at me!" he frowned at the younger teen. "This is no time to be fooling around."

"No, I really saw it," the Cyber Sleuth seriously stated. "It was that ghost boy from EDEN. I'm certain of it."

"What? There was a ghost?" Arata frowned as it didn't make sense. "The 'Ghost of the Pale Boy' that all of EDEN has been going on and on about?"

"I saw it that day in Cron too," Takumi added. "I had been trying to find you and it loaded something into me." The redhead frowned. "Ever since then… I've been seeing weird images…" _Images that make me sad for some strange, inexplicable reason…_ "It all feels so familiar… but… I don't know why…"

"For real?" the older boy studied Takumi's face. "You're not trying to con me?" He paused as this was Takumi he was talking about. He shook his head and sighed. "You'd be the only one who wouldn't. Anyone could tell you're really soft-hearted. And you clearly saw something strange. You got a good look at it, yet saw nothing," he crossed his arms and frowned. "And it left something in your head. As if something were pushed into it."

"Y-yeah…" Takumi sighed.

"Whoa, that's freaky," Arata said with a sympathetic frown. "And frustrating. To be on the cusp of remembering and yet…" He shook his head. "What the hell is this? What does it mean?"

"There's no point dwelling on it now," Takumi shook his head.

"Yeah…" the raven-haired teen agreed. "Well, it's another lead to follow, perhaps." He braced himself to continue further into the station. "Come on. Let's go." They didn't get very far before Arata stopped again, crossing his arms. He slightly shifted his head back to look behind them. "Hey. You notice that?"

"Is something wrong?" Takumi frowned as the strange atmosphere was making it difficult for him to sense the area around them.

"Listen up, you, or should I say, 'sleuth'," Arata rolled his eyes. "Something's been following us for the last while."

"Eh!?" Takumi blinked at him before closing his eyes and concentrating. "Ah… Now that you mention it…" He opened his eyes and knitted his eyebrows together. "Do you think it's a Digimon?"

"I don't know exactly what or who it is," the older boy shook his head. "A Digimon, or a ghost, or maybe it's _her_ ," he frowned at the thought of it being the detective from before. Arata quickly whirled around and called out to the strange person hiding behind the wall. "Who's there!? Show yourself! Come on!"

The teen's watched as hunched man wearing a long black coat stepped out from his hiding place. "Oh my," he said in a shaky voice. "I've caught your attention!" He hobbled towards them and Takumi frowned as he sensed there was something not quite right about him. He wore a crooked smile as he greeted the two boys. "Oh dear, good day! Good day!" he greeted them as he best as he could. He noticed Takumi's suspicious glare so quickly raised up his hands. "Whoa, easy there. Let's not be hasty. I'm nothing to be scared of, I assure you!"

Arata frowned and placed his hands in his pockets. "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

"My name is Suedou Akemi," the man introduced himself. "I'm a researcher for Kamishiro Enterprise." This quickly caught Takumi's attention. "I am currently studying this strange phenomenon."

"You're alone?" Arata asked.

"Yes, I am alone," the man nodded. "I'm very much the only specialist capable of making these breakthroughs," he scratched his head, "though I'd still very much appreciate it if they gave me an assistant," he stated, staring at Takumi.

The redhead gulped. _Does he know… about me?_

"I tell you," Suedou shrugged, "it's a terrible company."

"Why were you following us?" Arata wanted to know.

"Oh, I hadn't thought there were humans who'd made it farther in that I had," the dark grey-haired man replied. "I wanted to observe things for a bit. Did I happen to unsettle you?" he apologetically asked. "There's no excuse for that," he shook his head. "I apologize."

"Well, I guess it's no big deal," Arata relaxed his guard. "But if you're in the mood to apologize, tell us what this is. We want to know."

Unlike his friend, Takumi remained on edge but he knew the two of them needed information from the Kamishiro scientist. "Please," Takumi nodded as he continued to study the strange man. "It would help if you could explain to us everything you know."

"Oh dear," Suedou looked away from them out of embarrassment. "When you put it that way, I can hardly refuse." He seriously looked at them and frowned. "I trust you won't go around blabbing about this to anyone?"

"Sure thing," Arata smirked. "Right, Takumi?"

The redhead shrugged as he had every intention of relaying this to Kyoko later. "Who other than us would be interested in such a strange event anyway?" he rhetorically asked.

"Very well, then," Suedou gave them a satisfied smile. "I shall tell you! But my tale comes out of my work process and is, at best, the result of inductive reasoning. I caution you that it is not a final conclusion."

"That's fine," Takumi nodded.

"To begin," the man waved his arm at the area around them. "Let's discuss the space we are in. This space exists within a certain phenomenon. We're in the whirlpool of a special Digital Wave. You know what I'm referring to?" he quizzed the boys. "A Digital Wave?"

"It's a flow of energy that carries digital information," Arata answered. "Correct?"

 _Ah… so that's it…_ Takumi thought to himself.

"Brilliant!" the man fondly smiled at the raven-haired hacker. "Straight from the textbooks." He nodded as he continued his explanation. "This may still be the real world, but it's still a world made up of digital information. To put it in the very simplest of terms… The real world has transformed into cyberspace. As a result, everything here has become data. Even human thought," he smirked at Takumi again.

"I… see…" the redhead said, keeping his face as blank as possible. _So in other words, this place is like me…_

"That's quite the leap of logic, isn't it?" Arata shook his head.

The man giggled at his skepticism. "I won't deny that. My colleagues often deemed my ideas rather… heretical." Suedou put on a crooked smirk. "Some even compared me to Nikola Tesla. Well, that's more than well and good, but I do try not to let the praise go to my head."

"Uh…" Takumi frowned at how slimy the man seemed.

"But enough of that," the man shook his head. "Have a look at this. The irregularities of this internal structure should indicate right away that we're dealing with digitized data made from human memories. They merged with reality, giving rise to this bizarre and complex space. That's my theory, in essence." Takumi tilted his head to the side and Arata closed his eyes before crossing his arms. Both boys took a moment to let the theory sink in. After giving them a few seconds, Suedou nodded to them as it was their turn to give him information. "Now, allow me to ask you a question. Have you encountered an Eater yet?"

"Eater?" Arata frowned. "What is that?"

"That's the term I've coined for these entities that devour and eat away at things," Suedou answered with a smile. Takumi noticed the man's eyes flicker towards him again.

"Do you mean that thing that looks like a black and white nautilus shell?" Arata asked in surprise. "That freaky program?"

"Precisely!" Suedou exclaimed with a nod.

Takumi frowned at the man. "Why are you looking into that? We met one once in Cron and… it was pretty scary…" The boy didn't dare let anything slip to the suspicious man. "I didn't think we'd make it…"

"To have escaped an encounter with an Eater unscathed…" Suedou's eyes widened as he stared at both teens. "You don't know how lucky you are! When an Eater preys upon something, all its comprising data is eroded away and becomes glitched."

"Glitched?" Arata knit his eyebrows together. "What does that mean?"

"All structure and algorithms become disordered data," the man explained. "Glitched, completely defective. And once that data becomes glitched, it cannot be restored."

"It can't…?" Takumi frowned. _No… that's wrong… My mental data isn't glitched. I'm still here after all… Unless… the glitching resulted in me becoming like this…_

"Oh dear, how frightful that is!" Suedou nodded. "How truly frightful indeed, indeed!"

"So you end up being eaten," Arata concluded as he crossed his arms.

"That's the common theory, at any rate," Suedou shrugged as he smiled at Takumi. "I do not happen to agree, however."

"What?" Arata blinked at him.

"Why not?" Takumi tilted his head to the side curiously.

"There must always be a way to restore data," Suedou declared. "It is illogical to assume otherwise. Not in the metaphysical sense, mind. I'm talking about actual digital phenomena! And in THAT case, bugs are a thing we are all aware of! Therefore, I am pressing on with my Eater research!" he exclaimed.

"Hey, mister, calm down!" Arata shook his head. He took a deep breath as he considered something else. "Let me get this straight. Kamishiro knows about these Eaters? That doesn't sound good."

"That goes without saying," Suedou relaxed. "That's why I'm pursuing this research."

"Tch!" Arata frowned as he placed his hands in his pockets. "So they DID know about them! Those admin creeps have been stonewalling me."

"Well, they are a business providing a service," Suedou pointed out. "There's lots that needs to be kept confidential. I told you it's a terrible company, didn't I?

Takumi had his hands on his hips. "There's no helping it since it's such a big company," he frowned.

"There's more I want to ask on that front," Arata sternly stated.

"Yes, I see," Suedou nodded. "If I can provide an answer, I shall. Ask away!" He paused for a moment before eying both boys seriously. "But before that… You appear to be hackers, am I correct? You possess the Digimon Capture program," he smiled at the Digimon following the boys. "And you have marvelous Digimon programs as well."

"What about it?" Takumi asked.

"Yeah, what's it to you?" Arata frowned.

"Frankly put, I want to fight off the Eater that is likely roaming around here somewhere," the man stated.

"What? An Eater is here too?" Arata exclaimed in surprise.

"Did you not see a strange apparition before? Perhaps you know it as the 'Ghost of the Pale Boy'?"

"Is that related to the Eaters somehow!?" Takumi asked.

The man nodded to him. "That is indicative of an Eater's presence. A harbinger, I suppose you could say. An Eater's existence both impacts the Digital Wave and serves to induce it. That's my thoughts on the matter, at any rate. That the Digital Wave itself might be impacted by these Eaters. If so," he continued, "if we cut off the head, the body should wither away! To back up this theory," he nodded, "I'd like to ask for you assistance, if I may."

Arata frowned at him. "You're a researcher, aren't you? You should have secret weapons at your disposal, right? A camera watch that can detect hidden objects or a ball we can stuff captured creatures into?"

"Those are some oddly specific examples there," Suedou smirked at him.

"Never mind that," Takumi shook his head. "The Digimon are made of data, right? Won't they be glitched by the Eaters too?" he asked in worry.

"It turns out that, at present, our best weapon against the Eaters are Digimon programs," Suedou nodded. "Those programs are particularly bug-resistant. They can resist erosion with little difficulty."

The redhead looked at his team with a bit of uncertainty on his face. His Digimon only nodded to him. The teen sighed, not really confident in the man's theory now that he knew what exactly an Eater was. "I see… If they're the only ones capable…"

"Yeah, but…" Arata shook his head. "Suedou-san, it's not that I don't believe you… But you want us to wipe that thing out, right? Well, that just happens to be our goal as well."

"Oh, excellent!" Suedou nodded. "Best of luck to you, then!"

Arata smirked as he turned to his companion. "Well, then. We're off for revenge."

"Revenge?" Takumi blinked at him.

"Yeah," the taller boy nodded. "And let's find our way back to the regular world. The longer we're here, the weirder my head gets."

"Well, there's nothing else for us to do," Takumi managed to smile.

"I shall await you here," Suedou told them. "If you have any questions, come and seek me out."

"Alright," Takumi nodded as he and Arata prepared themselves to go further into the station.

As the boys tended to their Digimon, Suedou crossed his arms and frowned at Arata's last comment. "The regular world, you say? And where exactly might that be, I wonder?"

Takumi frowned as he heard the man muttering to himself. He finished rearranging his team and approached the scientist. "Hey, Suedou. Is there anything more you can explain to me about the Digital Waves? How do they actually work?"

"As I've explained, a 'Digital Wave' is energy used for transmitting digital information… We call it a wave, though in truth it is unknown whether waves or particles are transmitted. There is no way to confirm it visually, after all."

"I see…" Takumi crossed his arms. _But lately… I think I've been able to get a better feel for them. It's probably my body becoming more sensitive to them…_

"If we really could see a Digital Wave, I wonder what it would look like…" Suedou chuckled as he studied Takumi's pensive expression.

"Eh?" the blue-eyed boy blinked at that before quickly dismissing that comment. There was no point in him getting riled up over it and he definitely didn't want the man discovering anything about his half-cyber body. "Okay, but back to the ghost and the Eaters… How confident are you in that they're related to each other?"

"There is a clear correlation between the white boy and the Eaters. Perhaps we should even consider the boy a 'harbinger' of the Eaters. The full implications of this are unclear, but what cannot be questioned is that they are both digital entities. Data programmed using zeroes and ones," Suedou nodded. "And if so… a breakthrough shouldn't be far off. All we need is to analyze the data."

"In other words, we need to finish collecting data from the experiment first," Takumi nodded.

Satisfied the teen was quick to understand and had nothing more to ask, Suedou flashed him a crooked smirk. "There is a strong digital reaction on the train platform…" he told the boy.

"Alright, we'll head over there now," the Cyber Sleuth stated. He caught up to Arata as soon as the older boy was ready to depart. Takumi frowned to himself as he collected his thoughts. _Even if the Eaters and the boy are connected, that still doesn't explain those images. It might have been coincidence that I was dragged into this, but… somewhere deep inside of me… I doubt that… Is this the work of what Mirei-san called my "fate"?_

* * *

"Ah…!" Takumi slowed down when he saw a glowing figure at the end of the platform. "That's…!"

"Whoa!" Arata's eyes widened. "Is this the ghost you were talking about?"

"Yeah," the redhead nodded. "I wonder what he's doing here…"

"It's looking at us!" the raven-haired boy stated.

The ghostly figure began speaking to them in a garbled language. _"Boku wo hayaku mitsukete…"_

Takumi's blue eyes widened as he noticed he understood the strange language. "Hurry and find…?" He flinched when the other boy disappeared in a flash of static.

"It went and disappeared on us," Arata frowned, lowering his arms. He crossed them and shook his head before turning towards Takumi. "Do you know who that was? Do you even have a clue who it might be?"

"He looks like someone I know…" Takumi frowned but he shook his head. "But… I know he isn't…" _Why does he look so much like Yuugo? And why do I want to cry so badly…?_

Arata nodded as he understood a bit of what the Cyber Sleuth was trying to convey. "I'm imagining things, that's all. Yeah…"

"Maybe—" Takumi paused when he felt a strange digital presence nearby. He looked up towards where the ghost used to be and spotted the same monster they encountered before. "An Eater!"

"Damn, here it is!" Arata braced himself. "If that man's theory is correct, taking the Eater down will also collapse this strange phenomenon. Right?" He paused as a thought suddenly occurred to him. "And if that happens, what happens to us, who are inside of that phenomenon?"

"We have to do this anyways!" Takumi stated without hesitation.

The older boy chuckled at his friend's conviction. "Thanks for saying what I was thinking," he smirked as he sent his Keramon forward.

"Crazy Giggle!" the psychotic-looking Digimon laughed as he spat out bullets of light.

"Let's go everyone!" Takumi nodded to his team.

"Gatling Arm!" Galgomon quickly joined in.

"Needle Spray!" Togemon jumped into the air and fired thorns from her body.

"Destruction Grenade!" Guardromon launched his missiles.

The Eater flinched back under the attacks and Takumi smiled, knowing his Digimon were much stronger than before. If all went well, this battle wouldn't be a repeat of what happened last time. His blue eyes flashed as he noticed the Eater was tensing up. "It's preparing an attack! Be careful!"

The mollusk-like creature suddenly launched its tentacles towards both boys for its Erode Device attack. Arata flinched but Takumi quickly pulled him backwards as their Digimon intercepted the attack.

"Crazy Turn!" Keramon extended his arms and spun around before ramming into the Eater.

"Mach Jab!" Togemon rapidly threw a punch.

The Eater reeled back and swung its tentacle at them, attempting to eat the fighting Digimon. Arata frowned as he noticed it was trying to repair itself with its newly obtained data. "We have to take it out before it completely bugs our Digimon and recovers."

"Right!" Takumi nodded as he applied a recovery patch on his Digimon. "Everyone! Xros Combo!"

Galgomon charged forward with a smirk. "Dum Dum Upper!"

"Coconuts Punch!" Togemon punched the Eater, knocking it back, before slamming her fists downward on the monster.

"Homing Laser!" The cylinders on Guardromon's shoulders lit up as he launched two beams from them.

"Crazy Giggle!" Keramon laughed as he finished the Eater off.

Takumi watched as the black and white mollusk writhe around before it seemed to eat itself from inside out. Its data faded into nothing and the redhead frowned. "Did we do it?"

"What's happening?" Arata asked as he looked around. Both boys flinched as a flash of purple light enveloped the entire area and them along with it. When they opened their eyes, they found themselves right outside the station entrance. Arata slowly relaxed his guard as he made certain that they were both in the real world. "This is… Shinjuku!? What do you know! The old man's theory was right!" he exclaimed in slight disbelief. He hid his mouth behind the collar of his jacket before chuckling to himself. Takumi frowned at him curiously before the older boy began laughing. "The Eaters and the Ghost of the Pale Boy? This is a riot! It's spectacular! And to top it all off, there's you!" Arata crossed his arms and brightly smirked at his friend.

"What about me…?" Takumi asked.

"A 'Cyber Sleuth'!" Arata continued to laugh. "Oh, this is all way too funny! Reality is some pretty dull stuff. No doubt about it," he said with a nod. "But this? This is something else." The older boy shook his head and sighed before becoming serious again. "But getting back to business… I'm going to dig into these Eaters a little more. Maybe help out with Suedou's research. There was something interesting about him."

"You think so?" the redhead dubious asked, crossing his arms. "I don't really trust him…"

The raven-haired hacker shrugged as the Cyber Sleuth had a point. But even so, he was curious. "Speaking of which, where is he?" he asked, searching for the strange man. "Is he here?"

"Probably not," Takumi answered as he looked too. He sighed as a familiar whistle sounded from nearby. "Ah… she's back…"

Arata sighed too as he crossed his arms. "In a sense, she's more of a pain than that Eater." He shook his head and smirked at the younger boy. "Well, I'm off. And you, don't let yourself get eaten, okay?" He quickly turned towards the crosswalk and noticed the pedestrian light was green. "See you later," he said before taking off.

Takumi stepped out of the way as Date rushed past him as she chased after Arata. "You're under arrest, punk!" She clenched her teeth as it was too late for her to go after the older boy. She turned around to face Takumi and blinked at the redhead.

Takumi stared back before tensing up. "Arata…! No fair!" Date flashed the younger teen a bright smile, prompting him to smile back. He let out a nervous laugh before quickly booking it out of there.

"What!?" the detective quickly chased after him. "You're not getting away from me!"

* * *

Takumi let out a sigh of relief after he finished explaining to Kyoko the entire incident. "So after I lost Detective Date in Shinjuku, I came back here."

"I see," Kyoko pensively brought her hand up to her mouth. "So that's what the mess was. Yet, at the same time, it's very fortuitous."

"What is?" her assistant asked with a tilt of his head.

"Information that is normally hard to come by in a normal investigation was right there in front of us," she explained with a small satisfied smile. "Even sleuths need to get lucky sometimes." She looked over at the new folder Takumi prepared for her and stared at the blank label. "What to call this case? For now, let's refer to it as the Shinjuku Labyrinth case."

"Why 'labyrinth'?" the boy frowned.

"A 'labyrinth' is part of the underworld folklore, otherwise known as a 'Mayohiga'," she explained to him. "The spirit world, the netherworld, the land of the dead… It's a world beyond the borders of our own, out of phase, if you will."

"Eh…?" Takumi's blue eyes widened in interest. "Taken in this context though, it's more digital than supernatural…"

Kyoko nodded to him. "That's what the spatial phenomenon that appeared in Shinjuku must be. Maybe 'labyrinth' isn't quite the right word, but it's close enough. The reference comes from a collection of folklore tales by Yanagida Kunio., if you're ever interested in looking deeper into it."

"Yanagida Kunio…" the boy repeated to himself. "Right… I got it," he nodded.

"The important point though is that, much as in these folktales about labyrinths, the phenomena recur over and over," she continued. "In a way, I'm jealous you got experience it first hand," she smirked at her lucky assistant. "Parallel worlds really DO exist."

"You mean like the Digital World," Takumi said, bringing his hand up to his mouth.

Kyoko stared at him in surprise and quickly crossed her arms. "Digital World? Where did you hear that name?"

"Well, Mirei-san mentioned it before. And when I was helping Nokia before, those two Digimon I found said they came from the Digital World." The boy smirked as he pointed at the other folder he just filled out. "I already gave the details of it in my report."

She quickly opened up the folder to quickly read his summary. "I see. So after taking on Shiramine Nokia's case, you headed straight to Shinjuku. I missed that. And you claim Digimon are not programs created by humans, but intelligent life forms from a parallel world."

"I know it's hard to believe, but it's true," Takumi seriously nodded.

"Of course I believe you," she stated as she brought her hand up to her mouth to mull things over. "I only know a tiny bit about the Digital World." She closed her eyes and hid her small smirk.

Takumi slightly frowned as he sensed she knew more than she was willing to tell him. "Kyoko-san…?"

She opened her eyes and shook her head at him. "Let's put aside the Digital World question for the moment. It's not a riddle we can solve right now. Let's go back and talk about the Shinjuku Labyrinth. Right before I took you on as an assistant, there were some unsolved cases in Shinjuku."

"Ah… so you really were looking for something when you happened to come across me that day," Takumi chuckled to himself.

She raised an eyebrow at him for even doubting her but she shrugged it off. "And then you uncovered the Shinjuku case, not to mention the labyrinth case on top of that. My theory is that this all stems from irregularities with Digital Waves, regardless. These Digital Waves are growing unstable at key locations throughout Tokyo, not just Shinjuku. Since it's not at a level that impacts our daily lives, we ignore it as being within the range of error."

"Ah… about that…" Takumi seriously looked at the detective. "I've noticed lately that my body has been growing more sensitive to these Digital Waves. I don't know if it has to do with the waves themselves or my body… But should we focusing on a way to stop the waves from becoming more instable? What if another Labyrinth appears?"

"The issue is not the state of growing instability," she shook her head, "but rather what's causing it. Why now? Is it natural or is it human interference? Is it an alien or paranormal phenomenon?"

"Ah… I see…" the redhead nodded. "If we focus on the cause, it'll help with us with preventing and stopping it…"

"This is an interesting case. We should press on with our investigation," she smiled.

"Of course!" Takumi nodded in agreement.

"By the way…" she smirked at the boy.

Her catlike grin sent a shiver down Takumi's spine. "W-what is it…?"

"While you and I were out of contact, I decided to make the best of my time and so I whipped up a special new coffee blend," she told him. "I was certain you'd be back with results. That was an elementary deduction. You've really been giving it your all. Your work has been excellent," she said, pointing to his remarkable reports. "And now, as a reward, I've got a treat for you!" she chuckled. "I put a lot of effort into this!"

"Eh…!?" Takumi blinked as she poured out a cup of coffee for him. His eyes widened at the swirling green and white sludge in the dark drink. "Kyoko-san…!" He brought it up to his lips.

"Isn't it incredible?" she asked with a satisfied smile on her face as he began to drink it. "The miraculous harmony of coffee, yogurt, and seaweed boiled in soy." She blinked a few times though as Takumi began sputtering.

* * *

 **Final Notes:** And so we learn more about Arata. I really thought Arata kind of gave off a Shinjiro Aragaki vibe when I first met him, but that's actually very inaccurate. I mean, they're both the tough, older brother figures but what separates Arata and Shinji is that Arata is kind of a poser while Shinji genuinely does not care about other people's opinions on him. Still, they both always mean well... They both also have hobbies they're semi-embarrassed about.


	7. Supernatural Cyber Sleuth

**Author's Notes:** Another set of side quests. Starting off with a not very important or impressive DLC one. Well, the later DLC missions get more interesting.

* * *

~URGENT~CASE~FROM~MIREI~

"We've got another case from Mirei," Kyoko stated as she filled out the case request note for her assistant. She held it out to Takumi as he looked up from the boxes of case files he had been sorting through.

"What does it say?" he asked, accepting it from her.

 _Client: Mikagura Mirei_

 _Place: DigiLab_

 _Details: This is very urgent. There are malicious hackers… Will you teach them a lesson?_

Takumi blinked at the note. "Ah… she didn't give you any details on where to find the hackers, did she?"

Kyoko nodded to him. "You should go talk with her directly and ask her what she needs," the detective suggested to him.

"Alright, I'm off!" Takumi called out to her.

"Have a safe trip," the blonde woman responded with a smirk.

* * *

"Were you surprised to get a sudden case from me?" Mirei asked as Takumi appeared into the DigiLab.

He nodded. "A little bit."

"My apologies for that," the woman slightly bowed her head. "However, this has to do with the blacklisted hackers we discussed earlier. Some unusual hackers have appeared in EDEN."

"Unusual how?" Takumi asked.

"These ones don't belong to any of the major hacker groups, but what makes them unusual is that rather than being alone, these three are always together. And with those greater numbers comes greater trouble for people and Digimon alike…" Mirei frowned. "What they do is pretty standard hacker fare, but we can't ignore that this is a group of them, either. Left unchecked, they could very well grow. If we don't nip this in the bud before they form into a proper hacker team, that could well spell trouble if you tried dealing with them later, no?"

Takumi crossed his arms. "Y-yeah… Zaxon has been encountering problems within their ranks… There are already rumors spreading of a faction of hackers leaving Zaxon to form their own group known as the Demons… While I believe in Yuugo's goal to preserve EDEN's order, a third hacker team will probably throw EDEN into further chaos."

"That's why I sent this case in as an urgent one," Mirei nodded with a smile. "I need you to hurry up and take care of them before they can multiply. They should all be hanging around somewhere on Cron's first level. Given their numbers, make sure you're prepared before you take them on."

"I will," the boy nodded as he checked his Digimon team.

"Regardless, best of luck out there. Go give them what they have coming."

* * *

Takumi noticed a hacker milling about just past Galacta Park. "This must be the hacker Mirei-san mentioned!" he told himself as he approached the capped teen. "Hey! Are you the Billing Scammer Takeshi?"

"Eh?" Takeshi looked up at Takumi in surprise. "Who the hell are you?"

"Cyber Sleuth Aiba Takumi, here to bring the misdeeds of you and your friends to an end," the detective's assistant said with a nod.

"You're here to stop our hacking?" He chuckled at the ridiculous teen. "I get it now. I see what you're up to. You're one of those self-styled 'good guys' who likes running around EDEN picking fights with big bad old hackers like me, huh?"

"It's not self-styled if it's my job," Takumi shrugged, "but I guess so, yeah."

"And now you've come to take us on, EDEN's legendary 'Three Scammers', am I right?" Takeshi frowned at the wannabe hero. "All right, you've got yourself a fight! I'm Takeshi, the youngest of the three siblings!" he declared. "I target dumb, young gamers playing free-to-play games, using my Digimon to sell them counterfeit items, and it's made me a real fortune! So hurry up and rack up your parents' credit card bills already! Time and money's a wasting!" With a yell he called out a PicoDevimon and another tiny Digimon.

Takumi blinked as his Digivice identified the second unknown Digimon as a Botamon. "Huh? It's only a Baby I?" He frowned as his team of Adults seemed a bit too much, but it was his job to stop the boy from misusing his Digimon. "Um… Galgomon… use Gatling Arm… But lightly, alright?"

The Vaccine Digimon obeyed and quickly dispatched the two Digimon. Takeshi blinked as he didn't even get a chance to call out a command. "Uuuugh… I never thought I'd… lose to someone as scrawny as you…" he told the red-haired sleuth.

"Now you have to repent," Takumi sternly told him.

"Repent? Ha!" Takeshi shook his head. "What have I got to repent here!? This isn't the end. My older brother's gonna swoop down and avenge me! I'm not repenting until you win against him, too! Got it!?" He laughed. "So until then see you in your favorite free-to-play games, sucker!"

The Cyber Sleuth crossed his arms. "Fine, but don't think this is over."

* * *

Further into Cron, Takumi spotted another hacker chuckling to himself. "This must be that older brother Takeshi was talking about," he nodded as his Digivice confirmed the account as belonging to the Mail Scammer Mamoru. "Hey! Are you Takeshi's brother?"

Mamoru looked up towards the strange boy approaching him. "If you're here, then that means you must have beaten Takeshi. Of the Three Scammers, Takeshi was the one who did the operational heavy lifting… If he's down for good, I'll have to step in."

"Sorry, but I'll have to stop you to," Takumi shook his head. "It's all a part of my job as Cyber Sleuth."

"I'm Mamoru, the middle child of the three brothers," the hacker introduced himself with a nod. "I sell elderly people ineffective heath products and use their personal information to hack into their bank accounts and swipe their pensions!"

"Eh!?" the redhead didn't think anyone would be so bold enough to do that. "That's what you have the Digimon doing for you?"

"Come on," Mamoru shook his head at him. "Don't give me that look. I'm not completely heartless! I mean it says in the labels of what I sell that 'Effectiveness may vary'!" he shrugged. "If they buy my stuff, it's their responsibility!"

Takumi jumped back as a Gazimon came out of nowhere to strike him. "Ah! This type of Digimon!" He dodged out of the away when another Digimon that seemed like a limbless sphere form of Gazimon tried to spew bubbles at him. "Pagumon… Baby II…" He shook his head as he nodded for Galgomon to quickly restrain them again.

Mamoru's smirk fell as he didn't think he'd be defeated so easily. "I didn't think you'd actually make it past me… Not in a million years." He shook his head as there was still a chance for Takumi to be beaten. "But there's still the oldest one of us all out there you haven't met yet. Suguru!"

"Suguru?" the detective crossed his arms. "Is he nearby?" he asked, looking around.

"Think you can actually win against him!?" Mamoru laughed at the boy's gumption. "I dare you to try!"

"Alright, I will," Takumi smiled as he moved on.

"It's all riding on Suguru, now…" the defeated hacker sighed. "He's probably watching infomercials or something right now, I bet."

* * *

"This must be the older sibling Mamoru mentioned," Takumi smirked as his Digivice notified him that Suguru was in the area. The redhead was surprised when the hacker immediately started towards him.

"You must be the one who's been roughing up my brothers!" Suguru glared at the sleuth. "As you can probably already tell, I'm Suguru, the oldest of the Three Scammers! Knowing my name and looking at me, you'd probably guess I'm a guy, right?"

The redhead blinked at him as the question came out of nowhere. "I guess…?" he knit his eyebrows together.

"Well, you're wrong!" Suguru exclaimed. "I'm neither a guy nor a girl! I don't have to spell it out for you, right? Right?"

"Uh…"

"When I first registered on EDEN, I could only pick one or the other, so reluctantly went with 'guy', but…" the hacker shook his—her—their—head. "I didn't want to be forced to choose either one! It's a grey area! I'm proud of who I am!" the hacker cried out. "Why couldn't I have a choice that better reflected that!? But the system just wouldn't have any of it… So I decided to say screw the system and rebel!"

"H-huh…?" Takumi blinked as he was still a bit confused by the whole situation.

"I fabricated a lot of different avatars…" Suguru explained. "Sometimes I go male, sometimes female. Then I hop on dating sites and steal money from dumbasses! That's my scamming style of choice! It's vengeance against an unjust system! You're in for a real world of hurt beating up my brothers and interfering with my personal vendetta like that!"

Before Takumi knew it, a Keramon was headed straight towards him. Thankfully, his Digimon were faster and managed to intercept it, giving the Cyber Sleuth the chance to examine their enemy. "One Keramon flanked by two… Baby II Digimon? Tsumemon…" he nodded to himself. "Togemon! Needle Spray!"

Suguru watched in dismay as their team was quickly dispatched. "I don't believe it… My payback for my two brothers, my vengeance on EDEN… Everything's going down the drain…" they sighed. "What a pathetic way for everything to end… I really am a nobody, inside and out. I can't do anything right at all."

Takumi shook his head as he spoke to the hacker. "Even if you can't compare to me, you're a role model for your brothers. They'll still look up to you."

"Huh?" Suguru looked up at the Cyber Sleuth in surprise. "I was the strongest of the Scammers? And I'm a good sibling to Takeshi and Mamoru no matter what?" They chuckled at the odd teen's kindness. "You're not so bad after all. You're a pretty sweet kid, you know that?"

"Even so," the redhead crookedly smiled, "I'm going to have to ask you to stop it with the illegal activities."

"All right, I hear you loud and clear. I'll quit using my Digimon to scam people," the reformed hacker nodded. "Somehow, just looking at you, I feel all that old bad blood just drifting away. I'll make sure my brothers actually repent, too. Don't worry about that."

"Then I'll leave it to you, Suguru," Takumi nodded.

"I never thought I'd ever meet a hacker like you here in EDEN, of all places…" they mused. "I'm so sorry we caused you so much trouble…"

"So long as you've learned your lessons, it's fine," the redhead chuckled.

"On that note, can I get your DigiLine ID, by any chance?"

Takumi crossed his arms as he decided to trust the hacker with it. When he was done, Suguru quickly set off to find their brothers. The redhead watched for a while before nodding to himself for a job well done. "They all seem repentant now… I better report back to Mirei-san."

* * *

Mirei smiled at Takumi's summary of what happened. "I see," she nodded, "so they were three siblings. Had we left them alone, I doubt they would have opted to grow beyond that, then. But, this way we've killed three birds with one stone and managed to make them change their minds before it was too late, so I'm content. I imagine it was hard work making it all happen, but thanks for doing it."

"It was nothing, Mirei-san," Takumi chuckled. "It's my job after all." He paused for a moment to consider something. "But what we were talking about before… Maybe it'd be best if a third hacker team did appear… One in support of the Digimon… I don't know if I could be a part of it myself since I'm too busy working as a Cyber Sleuth… but there should be hackers out there who would join such a cause if they don't agree with Zaxon or the Demons." The redhead shook his head. "It's just a thought, but what do you think?"

"Once again, fate remains on your side, I'd say," she nodded approvingly at his lofty ideals. "But for now, you'll find your reward back at your office."

* * *

"I'm home!" Takumi greeted Kyoko as he returned to the agency.

"Welcome home," the detective smiled up at him. "Did you solve the case?"

"Yeah, I did," her assistant nodded. "I just finished speaking with Mirei-san just now."

Kyoko chuckled to herself. "Mirei's always an abrupt woman. I won't deny that. But she's always doing favors for us, so it's worth repaying her kindness whenever we can."

"I understand," Takumi smiled. "It's thanks to her that my Digimon are well taken care of, so if she ever has another case, just leave it to me, Kyoko-san."

* * *

~SCRAMBLE~PENTAGRAM~

"Kyoko-san," Takumi frowned as he looked up from the heavy guidebook in his lap, "why am I reading this again?"

"As a detective, you'll need to know a great deal," the detective answered as she stared at the map of Tokyo on her monitor. "For starters, learning the history and geography of the city will give you a better understanding of the people you will surely encounter as well as give you an edge if you ever find yourself in a bind."

"Okay, but I thought you said actual experience is better than book learning," her assistant pointed out.

"Oh?" Kyoko smirked at him. "So if I were to ask you to look into a politician, where would you go?"

"If you mean foreign, I'd go to Minato. If domestic, it'd be Chiyoda," the redhead answered.

"Maybe that was too easy," Kyoko mused. "What if I asked you to climb Mount Fuji without leaving Tokyo?"

"Is that… possible?" Takumi asked as he knit his eyebrows together.

"Physically, no, but there are smaller replications of the holy mountain throughout the city," the woman told him. "They're known as Fujizuka and are believed to be made of the stones of Mount Fuji itself. Those who worshipped the mountain usually carried rites to climb to the peak but for those who could not due to distance, age, or other limiting factors could simulate the pilgrimage at one of the various Fujizuka."

"I see…" the detective's assistant nodded. "I'm guessing these Fujizuka are near shrines then."

Kyoko smirked at his correct guess. "Yes, but very few remain. If you're interested in actually climbing Mount Fuji, I suggest you head to Sendagaya Fujizuka at Hatonomori Hachiman Shrine when you have the time."

"Sendagaya…" Takumi crossed his arms and closed his eyes. "That's a neighborhood in Shibuya, isn't it?" he asked, opening his eyes.

She nodded to him. "Speaking of which, have you ever been to Shibuya Scramble Crossing?" Kyoko curiously asked her assistant.

"Eh?" Takumi blinked a few times. "No, not really," he shook his head. "Is there something special about the Scramble Crossing?"

"It's definitely something you should see at least once," the detective smirked. "The terrain is fascinating there."

"I'll check it out whenever I have the time then," Takumi shrugged. "I suppose I should finish reading this first though," he sighed as he realized that even if he no longer attended school, he would have to keep up with all sorts of material just to match himself to Kyoko's strange plethora of information.

* * *

Takumi paused when he spotted a girl wearing an Inoden uniform standing in the middle of Shibuya's famed scramble crossing. He blinked when he noticed the cars were signaled to go again and tried to call out to her in warning. When he looked back towards her, she was gone. He frowned to himself and quickly searched for her.

Finally, the pedestrian lights turned green again and Takumi hurried over to where he had spotted the girl. To his surprise, she was there again, in the middle of the scramble crossing. "Why does nobody pay attention to me…?" she asked in a sorrowful voice. "They never notice me… not one person…"

"E-excuse me…" Takumi tried to get her attention. "Can I help you?"

The girl ignored him though as she continued to talk to herself. "But woe to thee who finds the entrance there…"

The Cyber Sleuth winced when he felt a strange disturbance in the Digital Waves around him. When he opened his eyes again, the girl was gone and he jumped back as a truck swerved to turn in front of him. "Ah…!" he fell backwards and tried to calm his rapid heart rate. "That was close…" He looked around for the girl but didn't see her. Takumi felt a shiver run down his spine as he heard some sinister cackling echo around him.

"For if you make it, you only meet despair," the girl's voice wickedly laughed.

Takumi picked himself up off the ground and managed to safely return to the sidewalk. He checked his body to make sure he was really okay before searching for that ghostly girl. "What was that…!?" He didn't find anything but as he returned to the agency, an unsettling lump settled itself in his stomach.

* * *

"So how was your first time at Shibuya?" Kyoko asked her assistant as he returned. "It's truly remarkable, isn't it?"

Takumi frowned at her and shook his head. "I almost got into an accident while I was there… but uh… I suppose it is."

"Good, because a case just came in regarding the Scramble Crossing," Kyoko nodded, pointing to the new case she posted on the board.

"Eh!?" The detective's assistant curiously went over to look at it.

 _Client: Inoden Occult Research Club_

 _Place: Shibuya_

 _Details: The legend of "Shibuya Hirasaka"… I need help verifying it._

"I didn't know Inoden had an occult research club," Takumi stated as he turned back towards Kyoko. "But it sounds…"

"Interesting?" Kyoko asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Dangerous, actually," the boy shook his head. "Doesn't 'Hirasaka' refer to Yomotsu Hirasaka? As in the entrance to the underworld Yomi?"

"Oh?" the woman blinked at him surprise. "I didn't take you to be so superstitious. Does this mean you'll decline the case?"

"Even if I decline it, you already accepted it yourself, didn't you, Kyoko-san?" Takumi asked. Her small smirk was all he needed to answer his question so he sighed. "I thought so." Takumi shook his head and psyched himself up for the new case. "Alright, so when are we meeting the client?"

* * *

Kyoko crossed her arms at the short-haired brunette sitting across from her. "So you're the president of the Inoden Occult Research Club, correct?"

Yes," the girl nodded and politely smiled at the detective and her assistant. "My name is Kokusho Mei."

"All right, what have you got for us today?"

"Well, I was wondering if you could help run an experiment to test and urban legend and see whether it's true or not," Mei requested.

"An urban legend?" Takumi placed his hands on his hips.

Kyoko chuckled. "I like the sound of that. It's not something we get around here every day."

"Eh? Really?" her assistant nervously laughed.

"Anyway, what legend do you have in mind?" Kyoko asked their new client.

"Well, it's called 'Shibuya Hirasaka' and it goes like this…" Mei began. "At the Shibuya Scramble Crossing, there are five hills, each of them going in separate directions. You split five different people up, one on each road alongside those hills. Then you have them all head towards the Scramble Crossing as they sing the 'Hirasaka Song'. If everyone makes it to the center of the Scramble Crossing at the same time right as they finish singing…" she stopped speaking as a frown appeared on her face.

"What…?" Kyoko curiously smirked. "Do their wishes come true or something?"

"No…" Mei shook her head. "A dead person is brought back to life."

Takumi was taken aback by this. "Eh!?"

"Huh," Kyoko brought her hand up to her mouth as she considered Mei's story. "I can't say I've heard that one before. It reminds me of some old Shinto stories. I can see what makes the legend so appealing, though. You have to make it to the center through that constant crowd, all while singing…" She chuckled as she lifted her and nodded to Mei. "Pulling it off sounds like no mean feat."

"Indeed," the girl nodded. "We've tried at the club several times, but we always either bump into people or get held up by a traffic light. But we've heard rumors about your organization so I thought I'd see if you could help us somehow."

"Rumors?" Kyoko curiously asked. "Like what?"

Mei brought her hands up to her mouth in surprise. "Oh, like how, there's a, uh… detective agency in Nakano dealing in the occult that has, uh, supernatural ties to another world…" Kyoko brought her hand up to her mouth and closed her eyes. Mei smiled as she continued telling the detective everything she had heard about them. "And if you go to it at 2:22 AM, there's a door to that other world that shows up… Stuff like that."

Takumi let out a sigh. "I-I see…"

"Jeez, I know we work in the shadows here and all," Kyoko opened her eyes, "but to think we're so infamous as to be having people make up urban legends about us… Wow." She smirked as her eyes darted to her not-completely-human assistant.

The boy nervously tensed up and shook his head. "Kyoko-san! Please don't look at me like it's my fault!"

Mei shook her head at the two investigators. "D-don't take it the wrong way! But, still, if we could prove that legend is true, it'd be…" the girl brightly smiled at them and chuckled. "It'd be a real boon for my club!"

"U-ugh…" The red-haired teen felt the lump in his stomach return with a greater intensity than before.

"What do you think?" Mei asked. "I know your main work here is hunting down ghosts and spirits, but will you do it for us?"

"Eh!?" Takumi's eyes widened at that.

Kyoko chuckled. "Wait, what? Hunting down ghosts and…" She shook her head. "Where do people even come up with this stuff? Now you've really got me curious…"

"Well, my assistant…" Mei crookedly smiled, "doesn't know a thing about it. Yeah… I don't know where I heard it, either." The brunette began laughing. "Silly me…"

"Don't worry about it," the detective nodded to her. "We'll take up your case. We need a little time to get ready, so could you wait for us elsewhere here in the building?"

"Oh, thank you so much!" Mei excitedly cried as she stood from her seat. "I have other members coming, too, so I'll just wait outside for them."

As soon as their client was gone, Kyoko turned to Takumi with an intrigued smirk on her face. "It looks we've got another weird case on our hands…"

"Looks like it," Takumi chuckled. "I still don't think it's a good idea though…" he admitted to her.

"But a case is a case," she pointed out. "What are you going to do? I'm going to start preparing for our Shibuya Hirasaka experiment."

Takumi brought his hand up to his mouth and closed his eyes. "Gathering information seems like a good place to start," he answered.

Kyoko nodded as he finally grasped the basics of their work. "Then why don't you go talk with the other club members and learn more about the legend? They should all be inside the building here. Talk with them and see what you can find."

"I'm on it," her assistant nodded.

* * *

Mei smiled when she saw Takumi coming out of the agency. "Ah! Aiba-san! Are you both ready to start?"

The redhead kindly smiled at her but shook his head as he walked towards her. "Sorry, Mei-san. Kyoko-san is still getting things setup but I do have a question for you. You said something about the 'Hirasaka Song' before. What is that exactly?"

"Have you ever heard the lyrics to the Hirasaka Song?" she asked the boy, resulting in him promptly shaking his head. "It goes like this… 'To hear of it a curse~ To see it even worse~ The depths of Shibuya~ It's where we all must cross~ When you feel alone, down you must go~ When you feel low, down you must go~ At the bottom lies, a secret, hidden world~ But woe to thee who finds the entrance there~ For if you make it, you only meet despair~ You only meet despair'…"

Takumi's blue eyes widened as he remembered hearing the last part of that song somewhere before. As he recalled, he almost died after hearing them. "Are those really the lyrics?" he asked the girl.

Mei nodded. "You have to sing that while heading towards the center of the Shibuya Scramble Crossing for the legend of Shibuya Hirasaka to work."

"I see…" the boy crossed his arms as he took a moment to seriously ponder the song and its meaning.

"By the way," the club president blinked, "the others seem to be a little late. Can I ask you to find them? I don't think they know where the agency is…"

"Sure, that's fine," Takumi nodded as he started down the hall.

* * *

Takumi spotted a boy wearing an Inoden uniform standing by the escalator leading to the third floor. "Excuse me. Are you a part of the Inoden Occult Research Club?"

"Ah, you must be a part of the Kuremi Detective Agency," the teen smiled at the redhead.

"That's right. I'm Aiba Takumi," the Cyber Sleuth quickly introduced himself.

"I'm the Vice President of the club. Call me Kenji," the boy smiled.

"Are you looking for the agency? It's just at the end of this hall," Takumi pointed out.

"Oh, I know where it is," Kenji chuckled. "I'm just keeping an out for stragglers in the club. No need to worry about me."

"I see," Takumi smiled. "Ah, but since you're here, can you tell me what you know about the Shibuya Hirasaka legend? Which hills in Shibuya are involved?"

Kenji crossed his arms as he thought about what to say. "Well, Shibuya's filled to the brim with hills no matter where you look. There's Konnosaka, Masaka, Organzaka…" The teen shook his head as there were too many to list. "Really, you could say that Shibuya is like the valley for all of Tokyo, and I don't just mean geographically, either."

"What do you mean?"

"There's just so much information and energy that flows into it from all sides," Kenji explained. "Mei thinks that's why Shibuya is so popular to begin with."

"I see…" Takumi nodded. "So the hills help to channel and lock this flow of information and energy…"

"Yeah, but if you want to know the specific hills involved with the actual urban legend, I suggest you speak with Manaka." Kenji looked towards the entrance and frowned. "She should have arrived by now…"

"Why don't I go look for her upstairs?" Takumi offered. "Thank you for your information, Kenji-san."

* * *

Outside the CD shop on the second floor, Takumi blinked at the brunette intently staring at her Digivice. The Cyber Sleuth shook his head before clearing his throat. "Excuse me. Are you Manaka-san? I'm Aiba Takumi from the Kuremi Detective Agency. I have something to ask you, if that's okay."

The girl suddenly looked up from her phone. "Oh! Sorry. What is it?"

"Kenji-san said you could tell me about the hills used in the Shibuya Hirasaka legend."

"Oh, that," Manaka nodded. "There are five specific hills you have to use for Shibuya Hirasaka: Dogenzaka, Bunkamura-dori, Koen-dori, Miyamasu-zaka, and Meiji-dori. If you look at them on a map, they even form a pentagram."

"Really?" Takumi knit his eyebrows together as he recalled the map he imprinted into his memory. There had been nothing about the land's geography that was indicative of a pentagram so he began shaking his head. "Sorry, but I don't really… see it…"

"Wait, what do you mean you don't see it?" Manaka frowned at him.

"I just don't," the detective's assistant chuckled. He quickly shook his head as he didn't want to get into a hopeless argument. "Anyways, thanks for the information. You should hurry to the agency. It's downstairs. Just head straight down the hall once you get out the elevator and you'll see it."

* * *

Takumi frowned when he didn't spot anymore teenagers in Broadway wearing Inoden's uniquely colored uniform. "Is that it?" he asked himself as he walked down the stairs connecting the third and fourth floors. He blinked when he saw a girl wearing a maid outfit standing outside the Fantasy Mansion store.

The girl frowned as she looked around in confusion. "Ugh… I'm going to be late if I don't hurry up and find the club."

"Excuse me," Takumi approached her. "Are you a part of the Inoden Occult Research Club?"

"That's right. My name's Lily," the girl blinked at him in surprise. "Ah, you're Aiba Takumi, right? You're Inoden's rumored dropout."

"Dropout?" the redhead knit his eyebrows together. "No… I was supposed to transfer abroad for a few months, but I ended up getting a job as a detective's assistant…" He shook his head. "Anyway, why are you dressed like that?"

"Hmm?" Lily stared at her work uniform. "Why am I wearing this maid outfit? Because I have to get back to work once we're done here. I came here because Mei really needed enough people to help out, but I can't say I'm otherwise super eager about the whole thing. I mean, there was an actual girl who died doing this, you know!" she exclaimed.

"There was!?" Takumi's eyes widened as soon as he heard this.

Lily nodded. "Apparently, she was doing everything you do for Shibuya Hirasaka and got hit by a truck right when she started crossing the street…" She shook her head and let out a frustrated yell. "I just want to hurry up and get this over with so I can leave already!"

"Y-yeah…" the detective's assistant agreed. "In that case, you should head over to the agency. Everyone else should be there already. It's on the first floor. Just take a left once you get off the stairs," he said, pointing to the nearby staircases.

The girl nodded to him in thanks. "Okay then…" she grumbled before leaving.

Takumi didn't follow her quite yet as he brought his hand up to his chin and closed his eyes. "Shibuya, the Scramble Crossing, a truck, and an accident…"

In his mind, he envisioned the pitiful high school girl he met earlier in Shibuya. _"But woe to thee who finds the entrance there…"_ she had said to him. _"For if you make it…"_

"You only meet despair!" Takumi cried out as he snapped his eyes open. He wore an uncertain frown as he further considered the case. "Don't tell me she's—" He jumped when his Digivice began to ring. "Ah! Kyoko-san!"

"All right," the woman nodded to him. "I've got everything all set up. Get all of the club members together and take them over to Shibuya. I'll be giving commands from here. Meanwhile, I want you to join in and help perform Shibuya Hirasaka as one of the five people."

"Eh!? No, wait!" Takumi protested. "I don't think—" he stopped when Kyoko already cut the call. He sighed and shook his head. "I'd better be careful then…"

* * *

Takumi looked around the crowded streets of Shibuya and double-checked that he was on the correct street. "I'm in position, Kyoko-san," he notified the detective through the six-way communication line.

"Good," Kyoko told him as she tracked the students' positions through their Digivices. "Can everyone hear me?" she asked them all. "We're now going to commence verifying the legend of Shibuya Hirasaka. I've hacked into the cameras at the Scramble Crossing. I'll be watching you all from here and giving you commands as necessary. Keep your eyes and ears peeled and be ready for anything."

"Understood," Takumi nodded.

"Now, let's get started," the detective stated.

Mei started forward and began singing the Hirasaka Song. "To hear of it a curse~ To see it even worse~"

Kenji frowned as he made his way through the crowd. "The depths of Shibuya~ It's where we all must cross~"

Kyoko nodded as everything was going well so far. "You're doing great. Keep up that pace. Lily, I need you to speed up a little more."

Lily shook her head as she obeyed. "When you feel alone, down you must go~ When you feel low, down you must go~"

"Good, good," Kyoko smiled. "You're all about to reach the Scramble Crossing. The traffic lights should cooperate, too." She paused for a moment and began typing at her keyboard. "That being said, just in case, I… went in and rigged it to work in our favor, too. So just go ahead and cross."

Takumi gulped as his bad feeling grew even worse, but he continued forward anyways. "At the bottom lies, a secret, hidden world~ But woe to thee who finds the entrance there~" He spotted the other club members approaching the center and the five teenagers finished the song together.

"For if you make it, you only meet despair~ You only meet despair…"

Takumi stopped walking and frowned when he didn't notice anything strange. From his Digivice, he could practically hear Kyoko's curiosity through the line. "Well…" she began. "How'd it go?"

Kenji let out a shaky laugh. "W-we did it," he stated. "We all made it here at the… same time…"

"Yeah," Lily shrugged. "I guess we did, huh?"

"Yep," Manaka smiled, "without a doubt."

Takumi paused as he finally sensed something wrong. He quickly looked around the Scramble Crossing and his eyes widened. "What!?"

Mei brought her hands up to her mouth in surprise. "What the!?"

"There's nobody here!" Lily gasped. "Where did everybody go!?"

"You're right!" Kenji nervously looked around. "There aren't any cars around, either!"

Manaka frowned as she tried to connect to Kyoko. "Looks like we've lost contact, too…"

"Hello?" Mei frowned as she spoke into her Digivice. "Detective, are you there? Hello?" She shook her head and sighed. "It's not going through. I can't reach her."

Kenji worriedly crossed his arms. "Did we actually succeed? Now I'm not so sure…"

"I knew it…" Lily sighed. "I knew I shouldn't have tagged along for this thing."

"I don't like this. It's giving me the creeps," Manaka shivered. "Since when is Shibuya ever this quiet?" She blinked when she spotted something in the distance. "Wait, what's… what's that!?

"I'll go check it out!" Takumi volunteered as he saw the strange figure staring at them too. As he got closer, his eyes widened when he noticed it was the same girl from before.

"Why doesn't anyone pay attention to me?" she pitifully asked. "Or maybe… they actually do notice me."

"Of course we do!" the redhead tried calling out, but frowned when she vanished as soon as he reached her side. "Where did you go?" he asked aloud as he began searching again. He spotted her standing a bit closer to the others and rushed over.

"I can't live here anymore," the girl frowned. "I can't live and be here anymore."

"Wait!" Takumi reached his hand out to her only to have her disappear again. "So close…" He turned around and scanned the empty Scramble Crossing and saw the girl standing right by the group. Seeing her there though sent a chill through the Cyber Sleuth. "Everyone, behind you!" he cried out as he returned to them.

"So I'll…" the girl wore a dangerous smile.

Mei turned around and gasped. "Whoa, who are you!? How long have you been here!?" she asked the strange girl wearing their uniform.

"I'll die and remain here," the pitiful high school girl stated. "Here at the bottom of Shibuya, in the Other World."

Kenji jumped a little when she faded away. "Sh-she vanished…?"

Manaka screamed as the girl appeared directly behind her. Lily also shrieked when another girl identical to the ghostly figure stood at her side.

Mei looked around as a third copy materialized. "What's going on!? What's going on here!?"

Kenji quickly whirled around at the fourth apparition's presence. "Where did you come from!?"

All four girls cackled at once before disappearing. Takumi scanned the Scramble Crossing as he felt as though something was about to happen. "But what…?"

"Wh-what am I seeing?" Mei shook her head.

"Calm down," Takumi muttered, mostly to himself. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Focus…!"

His eyes snapped open when he heard a familiar voice calling to him. "Hey! What's going… on!? Come… in!" The voice was riddled with static, but Takumi could recognize it from anywhere.

"Kyoko-san…!" His blue eyes widened as his muddled senses began to clear up.

"Takumi!" the detective's urgent voice called out to him again.

"Kyoko-san!" Takumi had never heard her sound so panicked before, but he immediately understood what it was she was trying to convey to him. "Look out!" he called out to the club as he tackled into them.

Mei let out a scream as a truck suddenly came out of nowhere. The vehicle violently swerved away from them, just narrowly missing the teens.

Takumi heavily panted as he stared at the near accident but he quickly forced himself to recover before looking at the group of Inoden students. "Is anyone hurt?"

Kenji shook his head. "That was… that was a close one. If we didn't hear your voice just now, that truck would have…" he stopped speaking then, not wanting to finish that thought.

"Are you all right?" Kyoko asked them, finally able to reach them. "What happened? Fill me in."

"Right away, Kyoko-san," Takumi nodded as he began his explanation. He turned his back on the rest of the club as they slowly recovered from the ordeal.

Mei shook her head as the usual buzz of Shibuya gradually grew louder. "What was all that…?" she asked, looking around them. "And now everything's going back to normal…"

Manaka frowned at the unsettling experience. "Wh-what's happening here?"

"And that should conclude my report," Takumi finished up. He sighed at the results. "I knew we shouldn't have taken this case…"

* * *

"We owe Detective Matayoshi a lot for helping out again," Kyoko sternly stated, glad the teenagers managed to make it back to her agency in one piece. "Not only did he restore calm, but he also took the truck driver in for questioning. Apparently, that driver didn't see any of you until right before you all were nearly hit. But here's where it gets strange," she frowned. "The crowd in the intersection saw you all the whole time, but nobody responded to their warnings. It's like you guys couldn't see or hear anything that was going on around you."

Mei nodded. "Actually, yeah, that's how it was…" Mei nodded.

"It's just like I told you before, Kyoko-san," Takumi stated, bringing his hand up to this chin. "The Scramble Crossing was completely void of people from where we were standing."

"We didn't know there were still other people around until your assistant spoke up…" the president nodded with a frown.

Kyoko slid a photo across the coffee table towards Mei. "And would this girl happen to be that high school student you saw there?"

Lily gasped at the sight of it. "It is! That's her!"

"Y-yeah, definitely!" Mei nodded in agreement. "She's the one for sure!"

"I see…" Kyoko mused. "Well, that settles it."

"What do you mean?" Manaka blinked at her. "Who is she?"

"She was a high school girl who was killed three months ago in an accident at the Scramble Crossing."

"She… died in an accident?" Kenji asked in disbelief. "For real?"

"Yep," Kyoko nodded. "She was even hit by a truck."

"But," Manaka shook her head, "that doesn't make any sense! We saw her with our own eyes, right in front of us!"

"She came back to life," Lily stated.

"Huh?" Mei looked at the club member in surprise.

"Don't you remember?" the student dressed as a maid reminded the club president. "That's how the legend of Shibuya Hirasaka goes!"

"Hmph," Kyoko crossed her arms. "So what you five saw back there was the dead brought back to life, then."

Mei brought her hands up to her mouth in disbelief. "I don't even…"

"I did a little research," the detective continued. "Shibuya today is a valley that was cut off from Shibuya River, which itself now runs under the Scramble Crossing. Rivers are a common border in myths and religions between this world and the next. There's the Sanzu River in Japan, the River Styx in Greece…"

"Gjöll in Norse mythology?" Takumi added.

Kyoko smirked at him and nodded. "I'd say you guys got caught up in one such place today. There are a lot of names you can call it, but the end result remains the same." She shook her head as it was about time to wrap things up. "Anyway, this case is closed. We set out to prove Shibuya Hirasaka is real and we did."

"Really?" Mei blinked at her in confusion. "You're just going to—"

"Leave that girl alone?" Kyoko finished for her with a raised eyebrow. "Is that what you want to ask?" The detective chuckled as she smiled at the perplexed teen. "Hm, you may be confused about our role. Don't forget. We're not 'ghost hunters', and we're not 'exorcists'. That's not what we do."

"Oh, thank God," Takumi let out a shaky but relieved chuckle.

"We're 'cyber sleuths'," Kyoko stated with a nod as she eyed her ever precious assistant. "No more and no less. I would appreciate it if you remember that from now on." Mei fell silent as she took in her words. Kyoko gave the four teens a smile. "Stay safe on your way home. Don't get into any accidents for real now." Takumi politely let the Inoden students out and closed the door behind them. When they were finally alone in the office, Kyoko crossed her arms and flashed the boy a smirk. "Whew, well, that case is over and done with for now, although I know you didn't get a chance to really use your powers. But I figure if you had used them in front of those kids, that would have just spawned another urban legend," she chuckled.

The redhead let out a heavy sigh. "It looks like people are mistaking my Connect Jumps for supernatural phenomena though… We'll probably be getting even weirder cases later on." He shook his head before he remembered something. "Oh, yeah… thanks for today, Kyoko-san. You saved me yet again," he gratefully smiled at her.

"Oh?" Kyoko raised an eyebrow at him. "You're thanking me even though I was the one who put you in such a dangerous situation? You already pieced together who that girl was before me, didn't you?"

Takumi chuckled at that. "Ah… so you knew?" He shrugged it off as he prepared to write out the full report for the case. "I figured it out a little bit after you sent us to Shibuya. I had a feeling she was a spirit with unresolved business," he lightly laughed.

The detective shook her head at him. "So you went along with it because you wished to help her. What made you think you could attempt to do something so ridiculous as to appease a ghost?"

"I just thought she was lonely and that maybe I could have done something to ease her spirit," the boy replied as he knit his eyebrows together. "I didn't know she wanted to take my life," he frowned. He shook his head before looking up at his boss. "But even so, I knew that if anything happened I could trust you to get us out of a bind. And you did!"

Kyoko chuckled as this was the first time her assistant managed to soundly defeat her with his unusual logic. "I suppose I will let you have this one. You have the results to show for it after all."

Takumi laughed at that. "Thanks, Kyoko-san," he nodded. He paused though before frowning to himself. "Still… I really do wish I could have helped that girl's spirit… Even if she did try to kill me twice… she must be painfully lonely…" The boy felt a shiver run down his spine as a girl's voice whispered in his ear.

 _"If I kill everyone, that'll make me lucky!"_ Her smiling face appeared in Takumi's mind. _"And if everyone dies, that'll make me happy!"_

Takumi flinched as his body tingled from the wave of static washing over him. He heard a car screeching on the road before it came to a crash as the girl cackled.

"Takumi…!" Kyoko watched as the boy snapped his head up to her in surprise.

"Ah… Did you say something, Kyoko-san?" Takumi crookedly smirked.

The detective crossed her arms and frowned at him. "It's exactly that type of soft-heartedness that will get you into trouble." After a while, Kyoko eased her gaze and gave him a kind smile. "Don't take your own life too lightly. There's no one in this world who can replace you as my assistant, after all, my dear Watson."

The red-haired boy smiled at that. "I understand, Kyoko-san."

"It's great to see you pulled through with this case," Kyoko nodded as her smile turned into a proud smirk. "Keep up the good work going forward."

* * *

~NIGHTMARE~EATER~

"I'm home," Takumi smiled as he returned from his latest trip to EDEN.

"Welcome home," Kyoko nodded, not taking her eyes off her screen for a moment.

The detective's assistant grabbed his laptop and began typing out his report. "This makes it my twenty-third property retrieval case," he thought aloud. "They're not very interesting…"

"As I've told you before, tracking down lost objects is among the most basic skills any good detective has," the detective responded as she noticed something strange on her monitor, "So make sure you always stay on top of those cases."

"I understand that, but I never see _you_ take them, Kyoko-san," Takumi pointed out. "On that note…" he frowned as he realized something, "I don't think I've ever seen you log into EDEN either."

"I often don't get the chance to," the blonde woman merely stated as she began remotely hacking into the security system she was looking into.

"No, I don't think so," Takumi dubiously crossed his arms. "There's more to it, isn't it? Are you perhaps banned from EDEN? Or maybe you're afraid of contracting EDEN Syndrome…?" he theorized with a sad frown. He quickly shook his head to rid himself of such negative thoughts. "Or maybe you really do just love making me do all the legwork?" he asked with a chuckle.

"Oh? Those are a few good guesses, my dear Watson," Kyoko smirked, impressed by his rapidly growing observation and deduction skills, "but unless you have a sound argument or evidence to support such hypotheses, I suppose you'll have to leave them at that."

"Okay, but was I close with one of those guesses?" Takumi asked with a hopeful grin on his face.

"Not at all," the detective chuckled.

"Eh…? It must be something extremely complicated then…" the young Cyber Sleuth mused. He shrugged it off as he figured he didn't have enough information to work it out quite yet. "A mystery for another time, I suppose." Takumi spent a few minutes typing his report before stopping again. "Wait… Have you actually ever been in EDEN before, Kyoko-san?"

"Perhaps," the woman vaguely answered.

"I'll take that as a no then," the boy shook his head. "Aren't you curious to know what it's like though? Even I was surprised by my first time in EDEN."

Kyoko shook her head and sighed as it didn't seem as though her assistant would be dropping this topic anytime soon. "I've heard that the view from the entrance is impressive," she shrugged. "Go see it and tell me what you think."

"I had meant for you to check it out for yourself…" Takumi crookedly smiled.

"You're the one who insisted in pursuing this line of thought. Consider it a case from me," Kyoko nodded to him. "I expect a fully detailed report."

"Somehow this seems more like punishment than a case…" the boy crookedly grinned, but he didn't dare argue with her. "Well… I brought this on myself, I suppose… Alright then. I'm going."

* * *

Takumi let out a satisfied sigh as he finished his detailed report on EDEN's entrance pavilion. He got up from the bench he was sitting at but paused when he noticed a young girl whining to her mother about something. "But Mooom, I swear!" she cried as she pointed at the area behind her. "There's something there! I just felt it!"

The woman shook her head as there was nothing there. "Sweetie, look behind you and check for yourself." The girl reluctantly turned and frowned at the empty space. "See? Nothing there. Now don't worry about it."

Takumi stared at the distortion the girl pointed out to him and tilted his head to the side curiously. Thinking it could lead to something dangerous, the teen approached the distortion and studied it intently. He paused as his Digivice rang, notifying him of a new message. Takumi quickly pulled it up with a confused frown on his face. "There's an anonymous post on my DigiLine," he said aloud to himself. "Huh?" he blinked at the strange message.

 _"STOP LOOKING AT ME"_

"What is this?" the redhead asked as he returned a message of his own to the mysterious sender. He remained still for a moment before shaking his head. "No reply…" He looked up back towards the distortion but quickly picked up his phone, sensing a call from his boss. "Ah… I just finished the report you asked for. Is something up, Kyoko-san?"

"Yo," Kyoko curtly greeted him with a nod, "we got another case from the occult club. This one looks personal, though…"

"I see…" the teen shivered. "It's not anything weird this time, is it?"

"I think those guys might have taken a, uh, liking to us, given that we deal in the strange and unusual in our line of work," Kyoko stated as she brought her hand up to her mouth. "And in doing so, they're inviting yet more strange unusual things into our lives. Starting with themselves, really," she chuckled.

"But a client is a client," Takumi stated with a nod. "Alright, I'm coming back now."

* * *

 _Client: Occult Research Club's Manaka_

 _Place: EDEN_

 _Details: My DigiLine is weird… It keeps transmitting without me doing anything. Please find the cause!_

Takumi looked up from his note and studied the brunette sitting on the client's sofa. The case seemed normal this time, but still, it was best for him to keep his guard up. He patiently watched as Kyoko nodded to the high school girl. "Hey, nice to see you again, Manaka," the detective smiled. "What brings you here by yourself?"

"Uh, well, I…" Manaka frowned, "think I might be caught up in a cybercrime."

"Cybercrime?" Kyoko raised an eyebrow at her. "Did you go to the police?"

"I can't, really…" the girl hesitantly said. "There are some supernatural elements involved, I think…"

"I understand," Kyoko nodded with a smirk. "You made the right choice coming to us. All right, give us the details."

"Okay," Manaka gratefully nodded. "Take a look at this," she handed over her Digivice. "It's my log on DigiLine."

Kyoko pensively scrolled through it as Takumi curiously peered over her shoulder. "All right," the detective began. "Let's see what you've got…"

 _Manaka: *sigh* Should I go to my club tomorrow?_

 _Manaka: They claim they do research, but… all they really do is hang out and talk. It's only a club because everyone has similar interests…_

 _Manaka: I should probably enroll in something a little more serious and go to that, too…_

 _Manaka: And I could really use a hot, manly boyfriend, too! Oh my gosh, did I just write that!?_

"Huh?" Kyoko frowned. "What's so special about this?"

"These just look like the normal thoughts of a normal high school student," Takumi nodded in agreement.

Manaka shook her head at them. "Keep going. You'll understand why…"

"Eh? Why? Does it get strange?" the redhead blinked as he continued.

 _Manaka: Could Kenji have a crush on Mei?_

 _Manaka: lolololol, no way! She has a one track mind! She can't think of anything else but occult stuff!_

 _Manaka: …does that guy even have his eyes on straight?_

 _Manaka: He's such an ass. He has a real hottie right in front of him and can't take his eyes off Mei for even a second to notice it!_

 _Manaka: Maybeeeeee I should seduce him, ehehehe._

 _Manaka: I mean… I've got the goods. I'd give him a peek aaaaanytime…_

"Eh…?" Takumi awkwardly looked away from the Digivice. "Do all high school girls think this way…?"

"Hmm…" Kyoko brought her hand up to her mouth as she continued staring at the Digivice. "How do I put this? Your posts aren't… pulling any punches here." Manaka lowered her gaze and frowned at the coffee table. She remained silent as the detective continued. "Putting my personal opinion aside, I otherwise don't see anything wrong with them. They look normal to me."

"Uh, the thing is…" Manaka shook her head, "I didn't write that stuff."

"What!?" Kyoko blinked at her in surprise.

"They just randomly showed up," the girl explained, "but they freaked me out so badly that I deleted them."

The blonde woman nodded in understanding. "Ah, I hear you. Then doesn't that mean your account was probably just hacked? Some two-bit hacker probably did it to screw with you, or maybe your computer was infected with—"

"No, it isn't anything like that," Manaka shook her head.

"Hmm…" Kyoko took a moment to think the case over. "Then I take it that this is where that 'supernatural' part you mentioned factors into these posts?"

"Yeah…" Manaka sighed. "I wasn't the one who wrote those posts and put them online, but… they are how I feel. What you see written there, that's… stuff that I think about, but don't express… out loud."

"Okay, I get you," Kyoko nodded. "It's stuff that's hard to share with any of the other club members, basically."

"Those are… your actual thoughts…?" Takumi blinked. "Your deepest, darkest, most private of internal secrets…?"

"R-right…" the girl hesitantly nodded.

"Hmm…" Kyoko smirked as she absently fiddled with the Digivice. "Seeing as you're in an occult club, I'm sure you know about Ouija boards and whatnot, right?" Both teens blinked at her in surprise. "Your hands move against your will, sending you messages from the spirit world… Something like that could very possibly be happening to you. Looking at the post times on your log, those messages went out in the dead of night. You should have long been sound asleep by that point."

"Okay…" Manaka frowned. "Then what?"

"In the late 1800s, there was an academic by the name of Inoue Enryo who posited these sorts of things can come from having multiple 'selves'," Kyoko stated with a small smile.

"Inoue Enryo?" Manaka smiled as she recognized that name. "You mean the man who came up with 'mystery studies', right? I've shown off his work at the club bef—" she gasped as she realized something. "Hold on, are you saying I have a split personality!?"

"The politically correct term for that would be 'dissociative identity disorder', actually," Kyoko corrected her.

"I guess… I guess it makes sense," Manaka nodded. "If I'm writing those posts at night without realizing it, that would explain it, but… but…!" She shook her head and seriously considered the possibility. "Hmm… M-maybe it really is that… I've honestly been worried that it might be deep down…"

"So you're suffering from a mental disorder?" Takumi asked with a dubious frown.

"No…" Kyoko shook her head as she brought her hand up to her mouth. "That's not it."

"Huh?" Manaka blinked at the detective in confusion.

"This isn't because of some mental issue…" Kyoko seriously stated. "Here, take a look at this." She returned the girl's Digivice and Takumi managed to get a glimpse at the message on the screen.

 _"JUST TRY AND FIND ME!"_

"Eh…?" Takuim blinked. "That address and font…" He quickly pulled up the message he received in EDEN and compared the two. "They're… a match…"

Kyoko's eyes darted toward her assistant in interest, but continued addressing their client. "This was just now posted onto your account. It's a reply to what I wrote on your DigiLine."

Manaka scrolled up to see what it was the detective posted.

 _Manaka: To the culprit: I'm a detective who's taken up Manaka's case._

 _Manaka: Know that we will track you down and uncover your identity, no matter who or where you are. You can't hide forever._

 _Manaka: You've been warned._

"Well…" the brunette blinked at the message.

Kyoko crossed her arms as a smug smirk appeared on her face. "This conversation unfolded online as you and I were talking, while you weren't touching any terminals. That means you're not the one behind those posts, let alone any mental disorder of yours. The real culprit is out there somewhere. Whoever's behind it is just a dumb troll, albeit an arrogant one at that. To quote Inoue Enryo's work again, what we've got is a case of a 'fake wonder', or someone trying to make this look more mystical than it really is."

"In other words," Takumi smirked, "this is plain old hacking."

The detective nodded to him before turning her head to study Manaka. "You said that the contents of these posts are based on actual facts about yourself, yes?"

"Well, I don't know about facts, so much as…" Manaka frowned, "just how I think and feel, really…"

"Were you logged into EDEN before you fell asleep?"

"Y-yes," the girl nodded. "I do that every night."

"Gotcha," Kyoko nodded as she brought her hand up to her mouth. "Then the way I see it, I bet the culprit's been snooping around and hacked into your memory data in EDEN."

"You can do that sort of thing in EDEN!?" Manaka asked in surprise.

"Well, not literally," Kyoko shook her head, looking over towards Takumi. "At least not when you're lone-wolfing it like your hacker here. Still, avatars in EDEN are essentially digitized versions of people's 'mental data', so to speak, and so memory data hacks are theoretically doable. Things take a bit of a different turn once the so-called 'supernatural' enters the equation."

"Okay, but this case isn't 'supernatural'," Takumi shook his head. "And as far as mental data goes, that's a bit too complicated for any _ordinary_ hacker. It would have to take someone with a good understanding of the EDEN Network's inner workings and even then, accessing and altering a person's mental data is near impossible with all of its associated risks. The only thing we've encountered so far that can do that is an Ea—" he stopped speaking then as he remembered they had a client in the room.

"Huh?" Manaka blinked at the boy in confusion.

"Don't sweat it," Kyoko kindly smiled at the girl. "For now, just log into EDEN tonight like you normally would. I'll have my assistant waiting for you in the lobby."

Takumi seriously nodded. "Just leave it to me, Kyoko-san."

Manaka looked between the detective and her assistant. "All right… But what do you actually plan on doing?" she curiously asked.

"Oh, let's just say we're going 'fox hunting'," Kyoko said with a smirk. "And our decoy will be… Our little maiden's deep, dark secrets," she chuckled.

* * *

"I'm here," Takumi notified the detective as he looked around the empty EDEN entrance.

"Looks like Manaka still isn't here yet," Kyoko noticed. "Here's hoping this isn't a sign of what's to come…"

"What do you mean?" Takumi asked, placing his hands on his hips. "Do you really think an Eater is involved?"

"Hmm? Oh, I had Manaka lay down our decoy," she cleared things up for him. "If the culprit's the type of person I suspect they are, they'll definitely go for it. That means it's a pretty safe guess to say that they're going to log into EDEN tonight." Kyoko chuckled as she anticipated the results. "Once they're in position, it's just a matter of apprehending them… But that shouldn't be a problem, either. That's because Pete's going to be working with us."

"Pete…?" Takumi knit his eyebrows together in confusion. He blinked as someone else connected into their call.

"How's it goin'?" the Wanyamon from the tube computer greeted Takumi.

"Ah…!" the redhead's blue eyes widened. "It's you…!"

"Long time no see!" Pete nodded. "Thanks again for what you did back there with the AC stuff!"

"No problem…" Takumi sheepishly smiled. "Ah… so cute…" He blinked after a while though. "But… uh… what are you doing here?"

"I had Pete here take a look at those posts the hacker wrote so he could learn their 'scent'," Kyoko explained.

"Yep!" Pete nodded. "Turns out those messages had traces of a Digimon on them. Can't fool me!"

"A Digimon? Not an Eater?" Takumi relaxed a bit at that. "That's… good…"

Pete flashed the Cyber Sleuth a smile. "I'll let you know when the bad guy's close by. You can count on me and my nose!"

"But of course," Kyoko smirked. "That's why I brought you onboard."

"This is so cool working with a real live detective!" the Wanyamon chuckled. "I feel like a real Boy Wonder here!"

"Boy Wonder…?" Takumi tilted his head to the side.

"Eh?" Pete blinked at him. "You don't know who the Boy Wonder is? Really?"

"Hey," a voice from behind Takumi called out. "I'm here." The detective turned his head and noticed it was Manaka. "Sorry to keep you waiting."

"Ah, Manaka-san," Takumi nodded to her. "Kyoko-san said she asked you to do something?"

The girl nodded to him. "I did just like she asked and posted the message on my DigiLine, but…" She curiously frowned at Takumi. "Am I really going to be okay doing that?"

"Huh?" Takumi returned his attention to his call. "What did you need done, Kyoko-san?"

The woman chuckled at him. "You're curious what she wrote, aren't you? It's fine. I'll tell you… She confessed her love to the hacker and also mentioned that she really wanted to meet him."

"Eh!?" the blue-eyed boy blinked at the detective. "Will that really work?"

"It's a real blatant ploy on our part," Kyoko smirked, "but again, this guy thinks his hacking skills are hot stuff. He's going to want to verify Manaka's claims, preferably by checking her memories directly. Hacking memory data takes some work, though, even to just take a look inside it. It'll require actually directly reaching out and making contact with her avatar. That's the only way he could have done this," Kyoko nodded and crossed her arms. "He had to have been touching her somehow in order to do the attacks. What's more, messing around with someone's mental data would take going into the core of EDEN itself."

"Like I thought," Takumi frowned. "But even for a skilled hacker, that'll still take some time, right?"

"The security there is supposed to be tight as can be," the detective nodded. "It'd take real effort to break in. The hacker behind Manaka's messages would have therefore had to be touching her for at least several minutes before leaving his handiwork."

Pete jumped up in alarm. "I smell him!" he cried. "He's close by!"

"Good," Kyoko chuckled. "It's time to go hunting! Go investigate the surrounding area and get this person out of his foxhole!"

"I'm on it!" Takumi nodded. He looked over towards Manaka and flashed her a reassuring smile. "Just sit tight, Manaka-san. This'll be over soon."

"I don't really understand what's going on…" Manaka shook her head as she looked around the empty area. "Is the culprit really somewhere nearby?"

Takumi shrugged as he and Pete began their search. "Even if the hacker is hidden, we'll definitely find them! Let's go, Pete!"

"What…?" Pete frantically shook his head. "I don't smell anything anymore! This is bad! If we don't pick it up soon, we'll lose him!"

Takumi looked around but didn't notice anything. He quickly turned towards the stairs and started running up them. "Did they go up…?"

"I smell him!" Pete nodded. "We're getting close!"

The Cyber Sleuth reached the pavilion and spotted a distortion. "Is that it?" he asked as he approached it slowly.

"There!" Pete smirked. "Right in front of you! Hurry up and do a scan!"

"Right!" Takumi held out his right arm.

"Yes!" the Digimon cheered. "We've got you now, buster! You're not going anywhere!"

"Ugh, for real!?" a boy shook his head as he suddenly appeared before the detective's assistant. "How'd you find me!?"

"I knew it," Kyoko smirked. "The culprit's a little kid."

"Don't call me a little kid," the boy frowned. "That's rude!" He glared at Takumi before taking a step away from him in surprise. "Hey… wait a minute! You're the one who spotted me here before, aren't you!?"

"So you really did leave the message on my DigiLine," Takumi stated, placing his hands on his hip.

"Crap, how'd you notice me!?" the precocious child asked. "You're not supposed to be able to see me at all!"

"Oh?" Kyoko raised an eyebrow at her assistant. "So that's what's happened, huh?" She chuckled to herself. "My little assistant is so sensitive to Digital Waves and special networks… The culprit didn't stand a chance of hiding forever!"

"What can I say?" Takumi sheepishly shrugged. "I'm a Cyber Sleuth. It comes with the job."

"But enough of that," Kyoko crossed her arms. "We've got questions for you," she told the younger boy.

"Does that make you a detective, too?" the boy stared at Kyoko's display. "Whoa! You're so hot!"

"Yeah, whatever," Kyoko dismissively stated. "Just answer my questions already. Who are you and how did you achieve such a complicated—"

"I'm… what you'd call a genius 'architect'," the boy interrupted her with a smile. "I'm not some lowly hacker or programmer. Do you know about the Baku Reborn Service? It's a special service here on EDEN."

"What does it do?" Takumi asked.

"In cases like where a user either permanently leaves EDEN or they die, the Baku Reborn Service gathers all of that user's data and deletes it," the boy explained before putting on a smug smirk. "And I'm the one who runs it."

"Eh!?" the redhead blinked at the child.

"You don't have to act so surprised," the boy chucked. "Kids are just more attuned to the digital world than adults. I just studied on my own and joined groups that I could trade info with and soon enough, I started working in corporate R&D."

"I see," Takumi nodded.

"Oh, but the reason I'm considered a genius isn't just because I run that service," the boy continued. "I'm also the one who designed it. Actually, what I said about Baku gathering and deleting abandoned user data isn't entirely accurate. It actually does more… Not only does it gather and accumulate data pertaining to a given account, it also organizes it, almost like it has a mind of its own. To be honest, even I'm surprised by that. I never expected it to act so precisely and deliberately."

Takumi crossed his arms at how sentient the program was beginning to sound. "Sounds a bit like a Digimon…" he muttered.

"It's a real case of the creation surpassing the creator," the boy chuckled, not hearing what Takumi had said. "But that's how it should be with these sorts of things, no?"

"I follow you…" Kyoko nodded. "Baku Reborn Service… Tell me, does the name 'Baku' refer to the mythological creature that consumes nightmares?"

"Yep, you've got it!" he nodded. "I named it that because data we don't want to show online is very much its own sort of nightmare."

"And by using that baku on yourself, you could…" Kyoko brought her hand up to her mouth and nodded in understanding. "All right, I'm onto what you did now."

"Eh?" Takumi quickly picked up on what she was thinking. "A makeshift invisibility program…?"

"You handed your avatar's surface level appearance over to your baku and let it consume it," Kyoko nodded. "That way, nobody around you would be able to know that you were lurking. But you didn't let it purge that data outright… You controlled it yourself, making it hand it back, like a dog returning prey to a hunter."

"Wow, you figured it all out!" the boy nodded. "Yep, you got me! That's amazing, though. I love it when I actually meet a smart adult."

Takumi frowned at the boy. "At least now we know your trick."

"I'm guessing you basically used that same trick to draw out Manaka's mental data, then?" Kyoko asked.

"Yeah, I copied it, but I only did that with her short-term memory," the boy nodded. "The stuff you'd find around a person's hippocampus inside a real brain. Even something as advanced as Baku can't break into a person's memory within active mental data. That would definitely be crossing the line and I understand why that's bad," the boy frowned. "I'll hand over what I copied to your partner, given the apparent interest it's sparked."

Takumi studied the files he just received. "Alright, I'm sending it to you now, Kyoko-san. It's actually pretty interesting…"

"It… really is a like a baku, isn't it?" the boy asked.

Kyoko nodded in agreement. "I think I more or less have a grasp of the current situation now. 'I Am That I Am Not'…" she crossed her arms and smirked. "I think that might be the best way to describe what your partner is to this world, if you catch my drift."

The boy chuckled at that. "You know, I was thinking the same thing. Genius or not, even I can't purposefully go out and architect life itself. That thing was… probably 'born' as such by pure chance. I have no idea how it'll end up growing moving forward. Certainly at the very least," he sighed, "I have a feeling I'll lose control of it eventually…"

"You really are smart," Kyoko smirked at him. "I don't just mean you know a lot, either. There's a sharpness to your words that I admire. Can I trust you to let me deal with the baku?"

The boy sadly frowned. "Do you plan on… disposing of it?"

"We'll see…" Kyoko answered. "It depends on how things go."

Takumi nodded in agreement. "It's hard to say right now, but I'm sure there's a way for me to salvage it. I am a Cyber Sleuth after all."

"Okay…" the boy nodded to the older teen. "I trust your judgment. You'll find it uploaded onto a site. The password lock for it is lifted. The rest… I'll leave up to you."

"Alright," Takumi stated. He paused though as he heard footsteps behind him. Turning around, he noticed Manaka was coming towards them.

She blinked at the small boy. "Who, this little kid… He's the culprit!?" She shook her head in disbelief. "I'd have never guessed it would be someone so young!"

"What!?" the boy tensed up when he saw her. "I, uh… Well, you see…"

"Oh, yeah… You never explained your motive for why you targeted Manaka-san," Takumi realized.

"Huh?" the boy frowned at him. "Why did I do what I did with her account?" He shook his head and made a fist. "Who… who cares at this stage!? I won't do it again and I promise to even apologize for it later! I'll even give her some consolation money, so just leave me alone!"

Manaka studied the boy's face before smiling at him. "You know, I just remembered… We've met here in EDEN before, haven't we? We talked for a little bit while I was waiting to meet up with a friend. Right?" she asked, placing her hands at her hips. "So why did you do all of that mean stuff? You're so smart that you shouldn't be out committing crimes."

"Eh… Um…" the boy nervously looked away from the older girl.

"Yeah?" Manaka pressed him.

"Yeah, you're right…" the boy hung his head in shame. "I'm sorry…"

"That's what I was hoping to hear!" Manaka nodded. "See, you're a good kid at heart!"

The boy scratched his head and sheepishly chuckled. Takumi tilted his head to the side and frowned. "Is something the matter?" the redhead asked.

"What are you staring at!?" the boy glared at him. "I did it, all right!? I apologized!"

"Yeah, but…" Takumi frowned. "You still look like you're guilty of something…"

"Let's… call it good at that, shall we?" Kyoko chuckled. "You still have work to do," she reminded her assistant. "I'm sending you the URL of the Baku Reborn Service now. We're going to resume our hunt now… only our goal here is to capture, rather than kill our target."

"Understood," Takumi nodded to her.

"Manaka," Kyoko looked over towards their client, "I want you to go back. It's too dangerous for you to stick around. My assistant will take care of everything from here."

Manaka looked between the detective and the assistant. "All right… I'm counting on you."

Pete gave Takumi a worried smile. "We don't know how our prey is going to react once we get there, so you'd better be prepared for anything before we go!"

"It's up to you what happens to Baku now…" the boy smiled at Takumi.

"It's going to be okay," Takumi nodded. "Well, I'm off!"

Manaka waved to him. "Stay safe! I'm going back to your office in the meantime."

* * *

"Kyoko-san, I see a Digimon ahead," Takumi stated with a nod as his Digivice scanned the Clockmon.

"There it is," the detective crossed her arms, "our one and only Baku. From the look of it, that kid's program has merged with a wild Digimon."

 _"Kioku, kuu—kuwaseru—kioku,"_ the Digimon growled in the garbled language Takumi heard before. _"Taberu—kioku—omae—kioku—kuwaseru…"_

"Kyoko-san…" Takumi's blue eyes widened. "It wants to eat… my memories…"

Kyoko blinked at the boy, surprised he managed to understand the Digimon's strange gibberish, but she quickly shook her head at her assistant. "It's no use trying to reason with it here. The program's erased whatever traces were left of that Digimon's own sentience.

"W-what…?" Takumi frowned at that. "Is there a way for me to repair it? Digimon are data, right? I should be able to—"

The detective shook her head at him. "Digimon are easily susceptible to influence from man-made programs… It's one of the reasons why some don't consider them to be autonomous beings with their own sense of will."

"But even if people think that way, it doesn't make them any less sympathetic," Takumi adamantly stated. "Kyoko-san, isn't there any way we can save—?" He quickly jumped back as the Digimon slammed its hammer down towards him.

"There's no getting around this one…" Kyoko sternly told the soft-hearted teen. "You're just going to knock some sense into it."

"B-but—"

"Now is not the time for you to be indecisive," the woman scolded him. "I told you before to not take your own life so lightly. Now, it's either that Digimon or you. I suggest you be quick with your decision."

Takumi clenched his teeth together as it wasn't a fair choice. He quickly called out his team as the Clockmon came for him again. Guardromon quickly brought his arms up defensively to catch the hammer as it came down.

The Clockmon let out a roar as the hands on its clock face began spinning. "Chrono Breaker!" Guardromon winced as his movements came to a standstill. He had been in the middle of taking aim at the Digimon, but now it appears as though he was frozen in time. The Clockmon took advantage of the robotic Digimon's openings and knocked the Virus Digimon out of the way. "Chrono Breaker!" Clockmon roared again, targeting Growmon and Garurumon (Black) next.

Takumi shook his head as both Virus Digimon slowed down. "Hurry and get back!" he ended up calling before reaching into his pack for something to help his team. He finally applied a Speed Booster on his team right as Clockmon tried to haphazardly attack Garurumon (Black).

"Wolf Cry!" the wolf howled in an attempt to stun their opponent.

"Howling!" Growmon joined in.

Takumi helped push Guardromon up to his feet as he decided to quickly end the battle before it got out of hand. "Xros Combo!"

"Exhaust Flame!"

"Foxfire!"

"Destruction Grenade!"

An explosion erupted around the Clockmon and Takumi hurried straight towards the Digimon to finish his scan. He sighed in relief as his team didn't directly attack the fallen Digimon.

"Okay, now that that's over," Kyoko nodded, "Download the data and collect what's left of Baku." She paused as her assistant was already doing that. In fact, judging from the data Takumi was sending to the office, it looked like he was hard at work trying to separate the Clockmon from the Baku program. She smirked as his soft-heartedness knew no limits. "Once you're done, get out of there and come back to the office," she instructed him. "You did well."

Takumi smiled to himself as the call was cut. "Sorry, Kyoko-san… I couldn't just turn my back on the Digimon though…" His efforts were rewarded though when the second hand on the Clockmon's face began ticking. He let out a shaky chuckle as he patted the Digimon's head. "You're okay now," he gently told the Clockmon with a nod.

* * *

Manaka frowned at the detective and her assistant. "It's hard to believe such a little kid would do a heinous crime like that… I'm still shocked."

"Heinous, huh…?" Kyoko brought her hand up to her mouth. "I guess I see where you're coming from. Even if he didn't mean any harm by it, what he did certainly broke the law. But that's all in the past now that we've 'exorcised' your account of that little stalker that haunted it," Kyoko smirked. "This case is closed now."

"Alright, but what about with the data I recovered?" Takumi asked.

"We'll be holding onto the Baku program in the meantime," Kyoko crossed her arms and looked at the redhead. "If we can tune it up a bit, it could very well come in handy."

Takumi chuckled as he noticed she was staring not at him, but rather his half-cyber body. "I see… It sounds pretty interesting if you put it that way."

"But I still don't get it…" Manaka shook her head. "Why did he go after me in the first place?"

"Oh, yeah…" Takumi brought a hand up to his mouth. "What was his motive?"

Kyoko sighed and shook her head at the teenagers. "Do neither of you really get why that boy picked on her?"

"Hm?" Takumi blinked at her.

"In a way, there really was no reason at all…" the woman smirked at their client, "Except to say that it was love at first sight. He really liked you, Manaka."

"Eh?" Takumi placed his hands at his hip.

"Huh?" Manaka stared at the woman in confusion.

"At first, he probably just wanted to get to know you more with all his heart," Kyoko chuckled. "But as we saw, he was less mature than he'd like to admit. He wanted to tease and mess with you so you'd pay attention to him. At his age, it's a pretty standard mentality towards someone you like, really…"

"Do young boys really think that way?" Takumi asked, crossing his arms. "Because I certainly didn't…" He blinked a few times as he couldn't quite recall his childhood personality.

"Well, thank you for solving my case," Manaka bowed her head to them.

"You're welcome back at any time," Kyoko nodded to her as Takumi let her out.

As soon as the client was gone, Pete let out a tired sigh. "That was sooo fun!" he exclaimed. "Let me help out again if something else comes up, okay? I think it'd be pretty cool to be a detective cat Digimon like that!"

"Ah… that'd be even cuter…" Takumi said as his cheeks went pink.

Kyoko chuckled at her assistant's strange weakness before addressing the Wanyamon. "You definitely helped us back there, so you have my thanks, Pete. Anyway, are you still not able to actually leave the confines of Nakano Broadway's intranet?" she curiously asked.

"Yeah," Pete nodded. "I think it has to do with how old the network protocols for the intranet are… It makes it hard to transfer data around. It could be I'm just stuck to the vacuum tube computer, like how Baku was to that Digimon…"

"But I managed to separate the two," Takumi stated. "I ended up getting an awesome Digimon out of the case," he smiled, pulling up Clockmon's data onto the screen. "See?" The redhead curiously stared at Pete. "If I ever get the time, I'll see if I can get you free, okay, Pete?"

The Digimon nodded to the boy. "Alright then! I'll talk to you later!"

As the call ended, Kyoko brought her hand up to her chin. "Hmm… there's still much to learn about what Pete truly is, it seems."

"Um… I've been meaning to ask," Takumi turned to her. "Why is his name 'Pete'? Did you name him for the 'Blue Peter' time capsules?"

"Huh? Why do we call Pete 'Pete'?" Kyoko blinked at him. "Well… he's a cat. He was extracted from his own little time capsule, where he was frozen asleep all that time… besides, open enough doors and you're bound to—" she shook her head at her assistant and gave him a smirk. "Do you really need a reason for it?"

"Is it bad that I want there to be a reason?" Takumi asked.

The detective chuckled at him. "Unlike the digital world, the real world is filled to the brim with things that have no real reason for being what they are. It's a simple pleasure in life that we're entitled to have as humans. Don't sweat it too much. Just kick back and enjoy it."

Takumi took a moment to consider her words as she returned to her desk. "Kyoko-san…" he began, looking up at her. "You might be right… but searching for a reason, even if one doesn't exist, is another pleasure humans are privileged with. But it's not unique to humans either… I'm sure even Digimon, like Pete or Clockmon, can find joy and meaning in their existence." He sheepishly laughed and shook his head at himself. "That's what I think anyway…"

Kyoko smiled at the half-cyber entity. "You truly are a soft-hearted irregular," she mused. "In that case, Pete's an important member of the team, so make sure you two get along, all right?"

"Of course!" Takumi adamantly nodded. A crooked grin grew on his face. "How can anyone _not_ get along with such an adorable Digimon?"

* * *

 **Final Notes:** And another Digimon joins Takumi's team. I felt bad for what happened to the Clockmon... But I guess it's sentience can be restored by a personality patch. So yeah, the DLC hackers case was okay. I don't really have much of an opinion on it other than it was just there. Scramble Pentagram scares me though... I feel like I have a theory of what really went on, but I'll wait until later to explain it. But yay, Pete! I would have stuck Pete into Takumi's team, but then... having a Baby II Digimon for the majority of the game would be strange. Plus, Pete's stuck in Nakano Broadway...


	8. Search Continues: Kamishiro Yuuko

**Author's Notes:** I forget if it was a part of the Pre-Order DLC, but when I got the game, it came with two themes. One had the Royal Knights on it while the other was a Cyber Sleuth character theme where it gives you all of the main characters and their names. So, spoilers prior to the end of her first case, of course Yuuko's name was given in the theme as Kamishiro Yuuko. I suppose it wasn't that big of a spoiler considering it's obvious Yuuko was using an alias. Also, another thing... Is it just me or are the character poses for Takumi, Kyoko, and Nokia a bit out of character? For one thing, Takumi and Nokia are way too cool... For Kyoko, I think it's mainly just because her fan-service-y design is a bit at odds against her straightforward detective persona.

* * *

Kyoko stared at the purple drink Takumi had sitting on the coffee table. "Just what is that?" she said, intrigued by the round black pearls settled on the bottom of the clear cup.

"Taro milk tea with boba," her assistant answered, taking a big sip of the drink. He pensively chewed on the tapioca balls as he swirled the cup around. "Would you like to try some, Kyoko-san?"

The detective curiously took a sip and closed her eyes. "The texture of the pearls is rather unique and quite enjoyable, but the taste…" she frowned as she returned the drink to the teen. "The taste could be improved," she concluded with a nod. "Perhaps with a bit of fruit yogurt… or soy sauce…" Takumi tensed up as he saw the gears in her mind beginning to turn. "It most definitely needs a green of some sort… Wheatgrass, maybe?" She sternly stared into the redhead's blue eyes. "What are the ingredients to that drink?"

"Plain black tea with milk and taro powder added to it," the boy frowned. "As for the pearls, they're tapioca. Don't tell me you have a new coffee recipe in mind now…"

"Oh, but of course," the woman nodded as a satisfied smile on her face. "I'd better start experimenting with these new ingredients right away. Adding tapioca will definitely improve the texture contrast of the coffee."

"Please don't…" Takumi begged her.

"But come to think of it, we're out of beans," Kyoko remembered, a disappointed frown settling on her face. "Pick up some more, would you?" she asked her assistant. "I used them all up crafting a new recipe yesterday."

"But I just picked up a batch three days ago!" Takumi exclaimed.

"Oho?" Kyoko raised an eyebrow at him. "You think I'm working you too hard? You've got a lot of nerve." She shook her head before sternly looking into his blue eyes. "Who exactly is giving you room and board again?"

The redhead tensed up at that. He let out a nervous chuckle as he started for the door. "A-alright… I'm going… But, uh… Kyoko-san?" His eyes darted towards his unguarded drink. "Please don't do anything strange to my drink while I'm gone," he requested.

"Oh? But its taste—" Kyoko blinked when the boy was already gone.

* * *

"Ah! Aiba-kun! Welcome back!" the owner to K-Café greeted their regular customer. "How can I help you today?"

"Kyoko-san needs more beans," Takumi nervously chuckled. "Do you have any available?"

"Buying more beans already?" the man raised an eyebrow at the teen as he handed the boy a bag. "I suppose with more employees, the supply is used up that much faster. Come to think of it, when you head back, why don't you buy some takoyaki from the third floor to go with your coffee?"

"Hm?" Takumi blinked at the man as he paid for the beans. "Why would I do that?"

"Only a child does no more than what they're asked," the owner crossed his arms at the boy. "Go above and beyond and you'll seem quite clever."

"I guess…" the redhead chuckled as he waved goodbye. "I was kinda hoping I could hurry back before Kyoko-san spikes my drink though," he muttered as he left the café. Once outside, he frowned at the bag in his hand. "Well, I got the coffee beans Kyoko asked for." He closed his eyes and shuddered. "What new horror will she create from these incredible beans that smell so good?"

Deciding to take the man's earlier advice, Takumi went down to the third floor and headed towards the takoyaki stand. He paused though when he saw a familiar girl with black hair staring at something.

"Eh? What's Kamishiro-san doing here?" Takumi asked himself. He shrugged as he approached her, but the girl didn't even notice he was standing right behind her. The boy smiled to himself when he heard her gulping. "Kamishiro-san?" Takumi called out to her. "What are you looking at?"

Surprised by his presence, Yuuko whirled around to face him. She tried to regain her composure and opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out.

"Kamishiro-san?" Takumi stared at her in concern. "Are you alright?" The girl averted her eyes from his bright blue eyes. The boy blinked at her as the two fell into an extremely long awkward silence.

Unable to withstand it anymore, Yuuko turned around and ran away from him.

Takumi curiously turned towards the wall to see what had captured her attention. "Eh? There's a poster on the wall Kamishiro-san was staring at." He tilted his head to the side as he read what it said. "Let's see… 'Nationwide B-Level Gourmet Battle – Our Restaurant Becomes a Culinary Battleground! Grated Yam Ramen! Tuna Scraps Gyoza! The Famous Massive Frozen Custard Dim Sum!' It looks like this is what Kamishiro-san was looking at," Takumi smiled as he wiped the drool threatening to spill from his mouth. "Did I…? Did I hear her mouth water over this?" He chuckled as he swallowed the excess saliva still in his mouth. "She did. Her mouth was definitely watering. I have to admit though… it sounds pretty interesting…" He shook his head to himself and smiled before ordering three servings of takoyaki. And to go along with the K-Café owner's advice, Takumi went ahead and ordered some ice cream.

* * *

Kyoko turned away from her client as Takumi returned. "Oh, thanks for doing the shopping. We were waiting for you to get back. As you can see," she nodded over towards Yuuko sitting across from her, "a client has arrived."

"Hello," Yuuko politely greeted him.

Takumi wore a small smile as he nodded to her. "Hello, Kamishiro-san." He looked down at the food he was carrying. "Oh! Kyoko-san, I bought takoyaki and ice cream too while I was out." He quickly set everything down on the coffee table. "Kamishiro-san, I 'accidentally' bought an extra serving of both. Would like to have them?"

"Eh?" Yuuko stared at the food he placed down in front of her. "Ah…" she looked up towards the bright-eyed boy. She uncomfortably averted her gaze when she noticed Takumi's amused smile. She gulped as he continued to stare at her.

"Did your mouth water?" he teasingly asked. "Your mouth watered, didn't it?" He brought his hand up to his mouth as he was beginning to drool again too. "Your mouth watered! I know it did!"

Yuuko did her best to ignore him as she picked up the takoyaki from the table. "Thank you for the food," she firmly stated to him, hoping he would leave her alone as she ate.

Takumi blinked at her, not expecting her to have accepted the takoyaki so willingly. "Ah… No problem," he chuckled before starting to pick at the pieces in his own tray. "It's alright, Kamishiro-san. My mouth watered too."

"Huh?" Kyoko stared at her assistant oddly. "Mouth-watering? What are you talking about? This is our client…"

"Kamishiro Yuuko," the girl nodded as she savored the ice cream Takumi had bought.

"Hmm," Kyoko crossed her arms and smirked at the client. "Now then, Kamishiro Yuuko-san. What matter of case brings you to us?"

"Right…" Yuuko set down her empty container and nodded. "I want you to investigate my father."

"Eh!?" Takumi nearly choked on his thankfully untouched milk tea.

"You mean Kamishiro Satoru-san, the former president of Kamishiro Enterprise?" Kyoko asked.

"Yes," the girl nodded.

"He passed away last year. It was reported to have been a suicide, correct?"

"No! That isn't true!" Yuuko tensed up. "My father would never kill himself!" Kyoko was a bit surprised by her reaction and Yuuko quickly brought her hands up to her mouth. "Oh… I'm sorry for the outburst."

"No, there's nothing to apologize for," Kyoko calmly stated. "But why do you believe he wouldn't do it? Do you have some proof that he wasn't suicidal?"

"I…" Yuuko lowered her gaze. "No, I don't." She frowned as she looked up to Kyoko again. "That's exactly why I've come to you."

"I see," Kyoko nodded. "That makes sense."

"If you want clues, then you may want to start with Yamashina Makoto, whom I had you investigate the other day," Yuuko told them. "He was a researcher for Kamishiro until last year. He left the company around the same time my father died and then he disappeared."

"So you believe Yamashina is connected to your father's death in some way?"

"Yes," the girl nodded. "Even if there's no direct connection, I'm certain he must know something about my father's death."

"Hmm," Kyoko smirked behind her hand. "So you had us investigate Yamashina Makoto as a prelude to this case, then. That was your way of testing us."

"Eh?" Takumi blinked at Yuuko. "Really…?"

Yuuko frowned at him but said nothing.

"Since you've brought another case to us, that implies that we passed your test," Kyoko smiled in satisfaction.

The raven-haired girl knit her eyebrows together. "I apologize. There are so few people around me who I can trust," she said with a frown as she stared at the empty food trays in front of her. "I… I'm so very sorry for my, ah, little ruse," she said, lifting her gaze to Takumi.

"Kamishiro-san…" The redhead frowned to himself as he sensed a strange painful loneliness coming from the girl. After a while, he cracked a small smile for her. "You don't have to apologize," Takumi ended up shaking his head. "I'm sure you have your reasons to be cautious. I'm sorry if I was out of line during the conclusion of our last case."

"Eh?" Yuuko blinked at him, surprised he was apologizing to her.

Kyoko chuckled at the teens as they sheepishly looked away from each other. "I hope such an honest answer is proof that we have earned your trust," the detective smiled at their client. Yuuko turned to her in surprise. Kyoko nodded to the girl. "We shall investigate your father's death."

"Just leave it to us," Takumi nodded in agreement.

"Th-thank you," Yuuko gratefully smiled. "Thank you so much!"

Takumi blinked when he realized it was the first time he had ever seen the girl smile. "Ah…" _So cute…_ He was quickly shaken out of his thoughts when a Digivice began to ring.

"Oh…" Yuuko frowned and stared at the pair of goggles wrapped around her left arm. "Please excuse me for a moment," she told the two as she answered. "Hello? Yes… No… No, there's no problem," she said. "Yes… Yes… What?" She glanced back towards the detective and her assistant. "N-no, I-I'm alone!" She knit her eyebrows together. "I understand. I'll be right back. Please wait at the head office, Rie-san. Goodbye." She quickly hung up and frowned at the investigators. "I'm sorry. Something came up all of a sudden."

"So it appears," Kyoko smirked. "Please leave the investigation to us."

"Thank you very much!" Yuuko bowed to them. "Goodbye for now."

Takumi watched the girl leave before the woman behind him started addressing him. "This could turn out to be a really big case," Kyoko mused. "We've got to go all-out and solve it."

"Yeah…" the boy seriously nodded. "I can tell she's desperate to find out anything she can about her father…" He frowned to himself as he could somewhat relate.

"If all goes well, we could expose Kamishiro's past, along with the company's inner workings. I should ask Detective Matayoshi for his help." Kyoko stood up and returned to her desk. "All right, let's get started on the case. I'll go over the information on Yamashina Makoto again. While I'm doing that, I want you to go back out to his home and pay him another visit."

"Alright then," Takumi nodded as he cleared the coffee table of garbage. "But… will that really help us?"

"I don't know if we'll get anything new, but…" Kyoko smirked at him. "Well, we have nothing to lose, I guess."

"Nothing to lose…?" the boy blinked at her.

"Nothing to lose…" Kyoko brought her hand up to her chin. "Nothing to lose… Hmm."

"What is it, Kyoko-san?" Takumi asked.

"No, sorry," the woman chuckled. "Never mind. It's nothing important."

"Are you sure?" the boy knit his eyebrows together.

"We have nothing to lose. It's something my father used to say a lot," she fondly recalled. "It's an abbreviation for 'trying because you have nothing to lose'. My father said something different, though. 'You have nothing to lose alongside friends'. I always thought it should be abbreviated as 'nothing to lose together', but…" she smiled behind her hand. "It's a rather elegant and refined expression, don't you think?"

"You have nothing to lose alongside friends…" Takumi pensively repeated.

"Well, no need to think too deeply on it," Kyoko chuckled. "That would be inelegant."

"Eh? A-alright then…" the boy crookedly smiled.

"Okay, enough chit-chat," the detective seriously nodded to him. "Get on the case for me. Head to Yamashina Makoto's place. And this time, make him talk. I'm counting on you."

"Understood!" Takumi sharply nodded before heading out.

* * *

Yamashina opened the door and blinked when he noticed it was the red-haired boy from the other day. "Oh…? You're… that assistant detective, correct? Did you need something?"

"Yes," Takumi nodded. "I was wondering if you know anything about a certain person."

"You're a stubborn one," the man crossed his arms. "How many times do I have to tell you?" he shook his head. "I don't know any Kamishiro!"

"I didn't mention anything about it being Kamishiro," Takumi shook his head and frowned at the man. "Where did you hear that name?

"You're asking if I've never heard of them? The first I heard of them was from you." The man paused for a moment. "No, it was before that… On the news, I think?" He brought a hand up to his head. "Wait, no. Maybe… I heard it from… my daughter?"

"Your daughter…?" the detective's assistant knit his eyebrows together.

"I don't know," the man shook his head. "Ask my daughter… Ask Chika. I… need to lie down… I suddenly feel dizzy…"

"Where can I find your daughter?" Takumi asked.

"Chika? She said she was going to Shibuya, I believe. A new single from a band was going to be available for a limited time at Shibuya Records."

"Is that band Jimiken?" the redhead frowned.

"Jimiken?" Yamashina shook his head. "No, that wasn't it." He grabbed the door and apologized to the boy. "You really must excuse me."

Takumi turned around and seriously frowned to himself. "Let's go to Shibuya Records to talk to Yamashina's daughter, Chika!"

* * *

Chika frowned when she saw the familiar red-haired boy coming towards her. "It's you again…"

"Sorry for disturbing you, Chika-san," Takumi politely bowed, "but I have some questions for you."

"You say you have questions? Again?" she sighed and shook her head at him. "We just want to be left alone."

"I-I understand…" the boy nervously scratched his face, "but it's very important that I ask them."

"Well? What is it now?"

"What can you tell me about your father, Yamashina Makoto-san?"

"What?" the girl blinked at him. "About my dad? There's not really much to say." She frowned as she tried to remember anything she could bring up. "Hmm… Until recently, my dad was a workaholic. He didn't even come home on his days off. But he seemed to change more recently. His focus shifted to taking care of his family."

Takumi knit his eyebrows together and crossed his arms. "Do you know what brought about this change?"

"I'm not sure why, exactly," Chika shook her head. "Maybe something changed with his work? Before, I know he worked for a place called the Nile Corporation, but…"

"Nile—?" Takumi frowned when his Digivice began ringing.

Chika quickly used this as a chance to get away from the nosy boy. "Shouldn't you be on your way? I don't have much free time, either. Can I go now?"

Takumi flashed her a smile and nodded. "Thank you for your help, Chika-san." As the girl walked away, he quickly answered the call.

"How did it go?" Kyoko asked him. "Get any useful clues?"

"I learned that Yamashina Makoto-san used to work at a company known as the Nile Corporation," Takumi nodded.

"Hmm. The Nile Corporation?" Kyoko brought her hand up to her mouth. "I hadn't thought there'd be a connection there."

"Huh? You're familiar with them, Kyoko-san?"

She nodded. "The Nile Corporation… Our paths have crossed before. Detective Matayoshi looked into the company once before," she explained. "My father was involved in that investigation, too. They were following up on a 'hunch', apparently. Okay. You can look into the Nile Corporation for me. You might be able to get some info at the corporate pavilion near the EDEN entrance. I'll look into the case files that my father and Detective Matayoshi put together back then."

"Understood," Takumi nodded.

"All right, I'm counting on you," she sternly told him.

"To the corporate pavilion near the EDEN entrance!" Takumi cried as he started for the closest terminal.

* * *

"Excuse me," Takumi politely bowed to the businessman. "Do you know anything about a company known as the Nile Corporation?"

"Nile Corporation?" the man blinked at the boy in surprise. "That's the company created to research the EDEN avatar system, isn't it? I think they were bought out by some big company a long time ago, though. They aren't around anymore," the man shook his head.

"Ah, I see. Thank you for the information," Takumi bowed. He headed towards the terminal before stopping to close his eyes. "So the company was bought out? Could it have been by Kamishiro Enterprise?" He opened his eyes as it was an easy deduction. "Better head back to the office."

* * *

As he returned to the agency, Takumi blinked as Kyoko had a guest in the office. "Detective Matayoshi!"

"Well hello there, young assistant!" the man brightly smiled at him. "Are you getting used to working as a detective?"

"More or less," the redhead smiled back. "But uh…" he knit his eyebrows together in confusion.

"What's with that look?" Matayoshi chuckled. "You're looking at me like I'm not supposed to be here. Kyo-chan can tell you why I'm here," he nodded to the woman sitting across from him.

"Well, something strange has happened and we can't find the Nile Corporation case files," Kyoko explained. "So I thought I'd ask someone directly involved with the case itself."

Matayoshi crossed his arms and sternly nodded. "Of course you didn't find them. All the files are stored together at Kamishiro."

"At Kamishiro?" Kyoko crossed her arms.

"I'm ashamed to have to admit this, but we had to leave the files there," the veteran detective sighed.

"Why?" Takumi asked, tilting his head to the side. "Does it have to do with Kamishiro buying out the company?"

"This was that 'hunch' of yours, isn't it?" Kyoko asked.

"Yes…" Matayoshi nodded to them both. "At the time, suspicions were raised that Kamishiro had acquired the Nile Corporation illicitly. Your father and I were investigating that when we ran into a little problem."

"A problem?" Kyoko brought her hand up to her mouth.

"Pressure came down from up top. We were forced to abandon the case," Matayoshi explained. "At the time, we were also forced to hand over all case files to Kamishiro, too."

"So Kamishiro pulled the strings. That was a self-incriminating move, wasn't it?"

"That was the implied understanding," the detective nodded. "Since we knew how bad it was, we decided to keep silent track of where the case files were stored. I kept track even after your father passed away. Now, the files are being stored deep within Kamishiro's main server, the Avalon server. I'm sure it's in the part of cyberspace Kamishiro employees call the 'confidential database'."

"So the data is there?" Takumi asked.

The older detective shook his head. "When I say I've kept track, it's not like I've confirmed the data's location firsthand. At best it's conjecture based on info from scans of the environs. Call it my intuition."

Kyoko chuckled at that. "That's good enough for me." She smirked as a plan began to formulate in her mind. "Well then, I say it's about time we had them return what they've been keeping for us."

Matayoshi stared at her with wide eyes. "Listen to me, Kyo-chan. This is Kamishiro we're dealing with." A stern frown appeared on his face. "How do you plan to get around the top-notch security of a world-renowned company?"

"Let's learn from the case of the Robbing Rooster," she merely stated. "We don't force our way through a closed gate. Instead, we employ strategy, and have them open it for us."

"So you mean like a Trojan Horse?" Takumi smiled as he sensed what she was thinking.

"Whoa, hey now," Matayoshi shook his head at them. "Is that even possible?"

Kyoko chuckled. "A good detective makes the impossible possible. What? We already have a rooster of our own lined up. Someone who can crow in just the way we need. And we'll get her to help us when it comes to infiltrating Kamishiro."

"Should we really get her involved though?" Takumi asked with concern. "I know it's her case, but—"

"Aha, speak of the devil," Kyoko smirked as the door to the agency opened.

"Excuse me," Yuuko nodded to them as she entered.

"Kamishiro-san…!" Takumi jumped as she was standing directly behind him.

Kyoko chuckled at their client's impeccable timing. "Once again, you've arrived right on time." She introduced the girl to the man on the sofa. "This is my client, Kamishiro Yuuko."

"Um…" Yuuko frowned. "Has there been any progress?"

"Kamishiro… Yuuko!?" Matayoshi blinked at the raven-haired teen in surprise. "You don't mean the former president's…" After a while, he crossed his arms and smiled. "I see! No one would question her if she were to walk into corporate HQ!"

"What!? I…" Yuuko stared at the three investigators in confusion. "Who is this?"

"Young lady," Matayoshi cried out in a pleading tone, "we need your assistance. Please!"

"Eh?" Yuuko was a bit taken aback. "Eh?"

Takumi seriously looked into her eyes before closing them. "It seems as though fate has chosen you over me to cut a path through darkness this time, Kamishiro Yuuko-san," he stated with a nod. "No matter, I will help you in any way I can."

"Eh? Eh!?" Yuuko shook her head as the strange boy suddenly knelt before her as if he were a knight, ready to serve her. "Eh?"

* * *

Yuuko brought her hand up to her mouth after the situation was completely explained to her. "I see…"

"What do you say?" Kyoko asked. "We really need your help with the investigation."

"That's… fine," Yuuko nodded. "I want to know if my suspicions are correct as well, after all." Matayoshi smiled at her answer. "But I am a minor," the girl pointed out, "and as such, my authority within the company is rather restricted. I doubt I'll be able to do much more than get you into the lobby of the main office." She paused as she studied Takumi. "Let me think about this… If I were inviting friends from school to take a tour… It shouldn't be an issue getting you in to the lobby, I think."

Matayoshi crossed his arms. "It'd be hard passing me and Kyo-chan off as your friends. Worst case, they might recognize us, too."

Kyoko chuckled as she nodded to Takumi. "So long as you could get my assistant in, that would be terrific. Could you manage that?"

"But then how do we get to the confidential database?" Yuuko asked. "Do you have some means of doing that?"

Takumi smirked as getting into inaccessible networks was his specialty. "I have my ways," he stated.

The raven-haired girl frowned at him. "Even if your assistant WERE a world-class hacker, I doubt it's even possible."

"A Cyber Sleuth can make the impossible possible," the boy's smile never faltered. "And I guess we're lucky I'm a Cyber Sleuth."

Yuuko continued to stare at him but Kyoko was satisfied with her assistant's answer. "Well, there we have it, Kamishiro Yuuko-san. Leave the domain of cyber sleuthing to us."

"That's right!" Takumi nodded.

Yuuko studied the confident teen for a while longer before rising to her feet. "Very well. I'll go and get things set up."

As soon as she was gone, Matayoshi raised an eyebrow at the two younger detectives. "What are you actually going to do, Kyo-chan?"

"To get in?" Kyoko asked. "I have an idea, actually…"

"Oh?" the old man smirked.

"There was this one case where I got my hands on a little program…" Kyoko smugly crossed her arms. "I'm thinking of having it customized for my assistant, with the help of someone I know."

"Ah… The Baku?" Takumi guessed.

Kyoko nodded to him. "Shall we get started with the preparations? My dear assistant, start by heading to Mikagura Mirei's place. I'll let her know you're coming and why. You can get the details from her."

"Understood!" the redhead nodded.

* * *

Takumi nodded to Mirei as he entered the DigiLab. "Kyoko-san said for me to come visit."

"My preparations are complete," she nodded back. "Go ahead. Take this program."

The redhead closed his eyes as the program installed itself into his half-cyber body. "Stealth Hide? Did you build this program from scratch?"

"Ah… No, it's a hacking skill program repurposed from the Baku program Kyoko gave me," she explained. "By using this, you'll be able to almost perfectly mask your account information. Effectively, you'll be invisible."

"Really!?" Takumi tested the power and watched as his body completely disappeared. Even his own Digivice couldn't pick up his information. "Ah… this will come in handy," the boy nodded to her as he reappeared.

"Given your half-cyber body, you should be able to use that skill not only in cyberspace, but in the real world as well," Mirei smiled at him. "This skill could potentially be used for a wide variety of crimes… But given your deepening bond with Digimon, I trust you won't use it for evil purposes," she stated with a nod.

"Of course I won't," Takumi seriously responded.

"That was rhetorical, dear," the woman chuckled. "I see all."

"I guess this was 'fated' too then…" the boy nervously smiled.

"You are a Cyber Sleuth, no?" Mirei asked, pushing up her glasses. "Someday, you must expose my secrets."

"R-right…" Takumi turned to leave. "Thanks for the new program. I'd better get in touch with Kyoko-san now."

Mirei nodded as she returned to tending the boy's DigiFarm. Kyoko appeared on the display and smiled at her assistant. "Hmm. Things went well, it seems," the detective noted.

"Yeah, I got the modified Baku program," Takumi nodded.

"I'm sure you have many questions," Kyoko smirked, "but start by focusing on the relevant case. I heard from Kamishiro Yuuko-san earlier and you've been invited to Kamishiro's corporate headquarters."

Takumi's Digivice beeped to notify him that he got a new URL. The assistant's eyes widened in surprise. "Already?"

His boss seriously nodded her head. "Access this URL to access an account with privileges to tour the corporate office. The privileges are limited to the lobby, but that should be enough to let you get in without too much more trouble."

"Right," the boy nodded. "I'll be on the lookout for a way to Connect Jump further into the system."

"We've had our rooster crow," Kyoko chuckled, "Now to set the fox loose in the henhouse. You've gotten some handy hacking skills, I know, but you'll need to think on your feet in there. Be the wolf in sheep's clothing! It'll take all your cunning, skill, and bravery to sneak on in and waltz out with the grand prize. Also," the woman became serious, "for the record, Detective Matayoshi isn't involved with obtaining and using the hacking skills for this case. Keep that in mind."

"So I'll need to keep a low profile," Takumi nodded. "I understand, Kyoko-san. Don't worry. This won't be a repeat of what happened back at the hospital."

Satisfied with his answer, Kyoko gave him an encouraging smile. "Now then, let's get this job done. Go; expose Kamishiro for what it really is. Kamishiro Yuuko is waiting so head to Kamishiro's headquarters."

"Right away!" Takumi replied before the connection dropped. "Anyway, I guess I'd better follow this corporate tour URL to Kamishiro's corporate headquarters.

* * *

Takumi looked around the lobby of the headquarters in wonder. "Oh, wow… It's pretty impressive…" He blinked when he heard a familiar voice behind him.

"Really… You're _sooo_ late!" a girl tried to scold him in a flat tone. "I got exhausted just waiting for you."

"Kamishiro-san…?" the redhead turned around and blinked at Yuuko in confusion.

"You're _sooo_ late…" she awkwardly repeated herself. "I got _ultra-super_ worried, you know." She looked away from him. "Oh, not that I was worried about _you_ , you see…" she frowned as she continued trying to keep up the façade. "Don't get the wrong idea or anything."

"Eh…?" Takumi stared at her with a slight frown on his face. "What are you doing, Kamishiro-san?"

"Um… Aiba-san…? Wait, no… T-taku…?" she shook her head as she struggled to say his name. "Takumi-san? I need you to pretend that you're my friend here. Just follow my lead, all right?" she whispered to him.

"Eh…?" the boy nervously scratched his face. "That's not… how it goes… Y-yuuko-san."

"Is there, uh, anything the matter with that?" Yuuko asked him. "You can pretend to be my friend, right? A school friend? A normal friend-friend?"

"Um… How do I put this…?" Takumi knit his eyebrows together. "I'm sure this isn't how you act around your friends…"

"Eh? That's odd," the raven-haired girl brought her hand up to her mouth as she frowned to herself. "Were the files I dug up on friendship mistaken?"

"Files!?" the boy stared at her in disbelief before shaking his head. "Just be yourself! There's no need to act any differently from how you usually are."

"What? You want me to act like I normally do?" She knit her eyebrows at him. "I'm not sure I quite get what you're saying. If that's true, then you and I are already 'friends' after a fashion, no?"

Takumi could feel his cheeks warming up at how cute her clueless expression was. He quickly covered it up with a bright smile though. "That's right," he nodded. "We're friends, Yuuko-san. I like you fine the way you are."

Yuuko stared at him with a blush before covering her mouth with both hands as she gasped. "Oh, I see! That was just a joke that fell flat, right? That was part of the plan, right, Takumi-san?"

"Eh?" the boy blinked at her. "N-no… I was actually just being honest…"

"Things got a little too real for me there," Yuuko frowned. "I forgot to let myself play along!"

"Play… along?" Takumi knit his eyebrows together.

"What I mean is you've done your homework," the girl smiled at him. "I… seem to have misjudged you."

Takumi crookedly smirked at her smiling face. "Thank you…?"

"Anyway," Yuuko looked around them, "welcome to Kamishiro." She turned towards the lobby with a serious expression on her face. "Okay, let's pretend to tour the lobby. I'll pretend to show you around."

After a few minutes of following Yuuko, Takumi frowned as he didn't notice anywhere he could Connect Jump into. He shook his head as he called out to the girl. "Yuuko-san, this isn't working. I think we should separate and look around alone."

"What?" the other teen turned to look at him with a frown. "You're going to strike out on your own?"

"Yeah," Takumi nodded.

"But what's your actual plan for getting in?"

"You want to see?" the boy chuckled, placing his hands on his hips. He activated the Stealth Hide program and watched as the girl's eyes widened in surprise.

"Eh!?" Yuuko looked around the lobby for the boy before scanning for his presence with her Digivice. "How does a person just vanish!? Both the avatar… and the account info!"

"Oh my, Yuuko-sama," a man behind the girl blinked at her. "Where has your friend gotten off to?" he asked, looking around.

"Eh!?" she turned around in surprise. "M-my friend… has… um…" she frowned as she quickly made up something on the spot. "We're, uh… playing, um… hide and seek."

"Eh? Hide and seek?" the man stared at the girl in slight disbelief.

"Y-yes, that's right," Yuuko nodded, a determined glare on her face. "Is there a problem?"

"No… No problem, per se…" the employee shook his head.

"This is the perfect place for hide and seek," the girl further explained. "It's so spacious."

"I, uh, suppose it is," the man looked around the vast lobby. "Sure. There certainly is a lot of space here."

"By the way, I'm it," Yuuko nodded.

"Oh, uh, well then," the man nodded to her. "Good luck, I guess."

"Yes," the girl nodded. "I'm going to find my friend, just you watch!"

"That's the spirit!" the employee encouraged her. Yuuko cast her gaze away from the man as he remained standing there. She frowned as she pretended to look around for Takumi. Sensing his presence was just making things even more awkward, the man quickly excused himself. "Well then, give it your best shot. Say hello to your friend for me."

Yuuko let out a relieved sigh before turning to where Takumi had been standing before. "He says hello…"

Takumi chuckled as he deactivated the program. "So? What do you think, Yuuko-san?"

"A program that seals an account?" The girl brought her hand up to her mouth as she thought it through. "And this requires Digimon program hacking skills. Which," she knit her eyebrows together, "is completely illegal, I'll point out."

"W-well…" Takumi sheepishly scratched his face.

"But you and Kyoko-san DID say that cyber sleuthing was your area of expertise," Yuuko smiled at him, "so that's reassuring."

"Eh?" the boy's blue eyes looked up at her again. "Ah… y-yeah…"

Yuuko gave him a nod. "When you're finished, meet me here. We'll leave together." She lowered her gaze as a worried frown appeared on her face. "Please, try not to take too long. There's a limit to the time we can spend pretending to play hide and seek. We haven't much time to waste. Please hurry."

"I understand," Takumi nodded.

"I'll see you later, then."

"Just leave it to me," the boy seriously stated before looking around for an access point of some kind. "Kyoko-san told me to think on my feet," he muttered to himself. "But I don't see any place to Connect Jump into… Let me look around." After going around the lobby once, Takumi shook his head before returning to Yuuko. "Is there a way to get to the server directly from a terminal?"

"Hm? You couldn't find the link to the server on the terminal?" Yuuko asked him in mild surprise. "Ah… Server access rights are linked to each employee's avatar. The terminals have nothing to do with it. Meaning," the girl nodded, "the avatars themselves are the links.

"The avatars are the links…" Takumi thoughtfully repeated. "Okay, thank you. I'd better check the avatars of some Kamishiro employees." He started for the closest worker. "If I just look at avatars, they'll get suspicious… I'd better use Stealth Hide to sneak around," he muttered as he activated the program again. After checking a few employees, Takumi spotted a man muttering to himself about Kishibe. "That avatar! What servers can it access?" He searched through the man's data before he found what he was looking. Now, he just had to figure out how to use it. "Avatars are just data… Can I Connect Jump into it?" He held out his invisible right arm and smirked as his entire body was pulled into the avatar.

* * *

Yuuko wandered over to a remote corner of the lobby so she wouldn't be disturbed as she continued her fake game of hide and seek. She turned her head to look around as she made a quick call.

"How are things going?" Kyoko asked as she picked up. "I believe my assistant was in the middle of an operation when I noticed the connection link drop."

"Yes," Yuuko nodded as she peered around a corner. "There's nothing out of the ordinary here. Everything's still going according to plan."

"Hmm," Kyoko brought her hand up to her mouth and hid her smirk. "Those are some impressive skills."

"Yes, I was a bit surprised, myself," Yuuko nodded, "to see how adept Takumi-san has gotten at using Digimon programs."

"No. I'm talking about you, Kamishiro Yuuko-san," Kyoko chuckled.

"Eh...!" Yuuko's eyes widened in surprise.

"The way you arranged the tour of the office and the way you've been responding to everything," Kyoko nodded. "You're quite good at thinking on your feet. I'd say you're an old hat at this sort of thing. Just who are you, exactly?" the woman asked.

The raven-haired teen lowered her gaze and knit her eyebrows together. "I don't know what to say…" She frowned as she thought back to what Takumi said before about her just being herself. "I'm just… me. I don't know who else I am supposed to be."

"Hmm…" Kyoko studied Yuuko for a bit longer before something on the monitor cut her eye. "Huh!?"

"Was there something else?" Yuuko asked.

"Oh… We've been made!"

"Eh…?" the girl tensed up and looked around. She flinched as the call temporarily filled with static. "Wh-what was that just now?"

"We could be in trouble," Kyoko calmly stated. "It seems our conversation is being eavesdropped on."

"What!?" Yuuko gasped.

"In all likelihood, someone has placed a wiretap program on your Digivice in the real world. I should have noticed it sooner," Kyoko frowned. "It takes some real skill to finagle this specific a frequency." She chuckled as it seems as though the detective had a rival hacker to contend with. "Whoever's doing this knows their stuff."

"Eavesdropping?" Yuuko lowered her gaze. "But that means…"

"Yeah," Kyoko nodded. "I hate to make this call, but you need to pull out of there as soon as possible. Consider it a valiant retreat of sorts. Slow and steady wins the race," she stated. "As I'm always telling my assistant, this line of work requires a patient and diligent disposition."

"But Takumi-san is still inside!" the girl worriedly exclaimed.

"Yes," the detective sighed as she tried to think of a way to deal with their current problem. "I doubt it'll be easy to get the 'abort mission' order through. But Takumi is my assistant," Kyoko stated with a sure smirk, "and should be able to figure something out."

"But that's—" Yuuko clenched her fists.

"You're not in a position to worry about anyone else right now," Kyoko sternly scolded the girl. "Hurry up and get out of there."

"Ah!" Yuuko paused as she knew the woman was right.

"I'll wait for whatever caused my assistant's little vanishing act to wear off," the detective calmly smiled. "On your way out, it should be possible to cover your tracks and employ some misdirection from the outside." Kyoko frowned as she looked over to her monitor. "It's too risky to keep this conversation going. I'm going to cut the line."

As soon as the woman hung up, Yuuko frowned to herself. "Takumi-san…" She shook her head before running towards the exit terminal.

* * *

ACCESSING SERVER…

DATA DOWNLOAD COMPLETE

"Good job, Togemon, Clockmon," Takumi nodded to his Data Digimon. He returned them to his Digivice before turning to leave. He paused though when he sensed someone coming.

"Man, he treats people like crap, too," the man sighed.

"Hey, knock it off!" his friend scolded him.

Takumi quickly activated his Stealth Hide and backed himself into the wall as three hackers wearing Zaxon vests walked in. "Ugh…" a girl groaned. "Is there even a reason why we're on lookout duty?"

"I know, right? Kamishiro's security measures are top-tier. No one's getting through that easy. What are you so scared of?"

Takumi smirked as they didn't notice his presence. He tried to edge closer to the terminal but paused. _Oh no! I feel an electric sneeze coming on!_ He chuckled to himself. _I should probably explain what that is! It's a physiological phenomenon that the digital body experiences during a dive into the Digital World. Essentially, there's no difference between that and a sneeze in the real world! It's just a sneeze, but it's a type of involuntary movement that your body can't hold back!_ He frowned as he looked between the three hackers. _And right now is not the time for one!_

"What a pain," a hacker shook his head. "Man, what a pain!"

"I told you to knock it off! This is where they're messing about. I'm sure I heard that somewhere," another hacker frowned as he looked around for the intruder they were supposed to be hunting.

"Ahhh…" Takumi brought his hand up to his mouth. "Ahh…!" He couldn't hold it in any longer and sneezed. "At-choo!"

"Yeah," the first hacker searched too. "Something would suddenly show up like—" he jumped back when Takumi appeared out of nowhere. "What the what!?"

"Ah, darn… My Stealth Hide wore off…" Takumi crookedly smiled.

"You!?" the girl glared at him. "Where did you pop up from!?"

"Who the hell are you!?" a boy growled. "You actually managed to break in!?" He shook his head as it was supposed to be impossible. "But this… This is Kamishiro we're talking about! Who the hell are you?"

"So like," the girl shook her head, "what're we going to do with this dweeb?"

The first hacker raised an eyebrow at her in disbelief. "What are we going to do? What we were ordered to do! Take care of the intruder!"

"You all…" another voice spoke up as a fourth hacker entered the room. "What are you doing here?"

Takumi paused as he looked up towards the person, hoping he came here to help him. "Yuugo…!"

Yuugo coolly frowned at the red-haired sleuth before narrowing his gaze on the three hackers. One of the hackers shook his head in fear. "Oh snap!" the hooded boy cried. "Yuugo!?"

"What the hell's Yuugo doing here!?" his friend cowered back.

"How the hell would I know!?" the girl angrily replied.

"Do you have fake Kamishiro employee IDs or…?" Yuugo brought his hand up to his mouth and studied the trio. "No, you were given access privileges, right? Someone from Kamishiro hired you?"

Takumi frowned as it didn't seem Yuugo was interested in his presence there. "Yuugo…?"

The light-haired boy continued to ignore the Cyber Sleuth. "Who was it?" he sternly asked the hackers. "Who brought you here?"

"H-hey, like, who knows, amirite?" the hacker wearing the green vest nervously asked.

"We don't gotta answer to you!" his friend wearing orange nodded in agreement.

"Uh, do we?" the girl tried to confidently challenge the legendary Zaxon leader.

Yuugo kept his gaze cold and steady. "You mean to bring shame to the Zaxon name?" he simply asked, placing a hand at his hip.

The hackers' bravado quickly faltered and Takumi tensed up as he sensed something coming. "Yuugo!" the redhead cried out as he sent his Digimon to intercept two flaming blue Digimon targeting the grey-eyed boy.

"Yoohoooooo!" Jimiken whooped as he entered the room. Yuugo turned to the rock star in confusion and shock. "Word up!" Jimiken chuckled as he began playing the air guitar. "Everyone's all here."

The trio of hackers brightened at the sight of their savior. "It's really him! Jimiken and his Air Guitar to Drive Demons Wild!"

"Yes! I am Jimiken!" the man cried out. "Yaa-hoooo!" Yuugo quickly regained his composure and glared at the supposed admin of Zaxon. "Thank you very much, Yuugo-san," Jimiken stopped swinging his arms and smirked at the leader of Zaxon. "What a coincidence, running into you here. Such a coincidence that it rocks! Are you feeling me?"

"You're wrapped up in this, too?" Yuugo asked with a frown. "What's going on here?"

"Gee, what indeed?" Jimiken teasingly asked back. "What could it be? Lemme throw the same question right back atcha! So like, why? Why are you here?" He chuckled as he turned to look towards Takumi. "By which I mean, is _that_ your excuse?"

Takumi blinked at Jimiken in surprise. _Me…?_ "Yuugo…?" The redhead looked over towards the light-haired boy for an explanation.

Yuugo simply closed his eyes, resulting in Jimiken to laugh at his reaction. "Cat got your tongue?" the man continued. "I see. Yeah, that makes sense. Lemme guess. You can't tell me, can you?" The rock star smirked as he placed his hands on his hips, "Yuugo-chan?"

The Zaxon leader opened his eyes and faltered at that. "Ah…"

"Y-yuugo…" Takumi noticed the usually composed hacker was at a complete loss for words.

"Okay, okay…" Jimiken shook his head at the light-haired teen. "Okay, okay, okay! But any dang way, on to more important things!" He smirked before looking back at Takumi. "Let's say that I owe you pretty big for the other day, uh-huh? As my special way of saying 'thank you', I'll knock you out, black and blue!"

Takumi's Digimon tensed up as their tactician smirked at the rock star. "Ah… You don't have to thank me," the Cyber Sleuth chuckled. "I'll be glad to give you another show."

"How about you be good little boys and girls… and become my new number-one fans!" Jimiken declared as he began to play his air guitar.

"Time for another performance!" Takumi called out to his Digimon.

"Is it coming across?" Jimiken chuckled as his BlueMeramon simultaneously flexed. "This feeling?" His Digimon roared as they attacked the three Digimon in their way.

"Frost Knuckle!" the pair cried as they raised their fist.

"Garurumon (Black), cover Togemon and Clockmon!" Takumi ordered.

"Ice Wall!" The wolf breathed out a wall of ice to block the attacks as the two Data Digimon quickly switched out.

One BlueMeramon flared up as he began pounding at the wall. When the ice shattered, its partner quickly grabbed the wolf and threw it aside. "Ice Bomb!" A blue ball of energy charged in his hand as he threw it towards Garurumon (Black).

"Snowball Fight!" Yukidarumon countered the orb with snowballs and icy explosion erupted.

Galgomon quickly defended Garurumon (Black) before pointing his Gatling arms at the enemy. He quickly began firing to give his teammate some cover as he recovered. When Garurumon (Black) was finally back onto his feet, Galgomon rushed forward, swinging his arm upwards. "Dum Dum Upper!" he cried as he caught one of the BlueMeramon square in the jaw.

The other BlueMeramon took advantage of the Vaccine's opening. "Cold Flame!"

"Foxfire!" Garurumon (Black) ferociously growled to defend his friend.

Yukidarumon slipped behind both BlueMeramon and glared at them. "Zettai Reido Punch!"

Takumi frowned as both flaming Digimon were pretty sturdy. "Three Adults against two Perfects…" he shook his head. "They might hold the power advantage, but we'll show them the strength of our bonds!"

"What's this?" Jimiken laughed at the naïve boy. "Is that what you're feeling? What a rocking joke!"

Both BlueMeramon flared up and roared. "Vision Bind!"

Takumi winced as both Virus Digimon lit up the room with their intense blue flames. He brought his arms up to cover his eyes but tensed up when he felt the Digital Waves shift around him. He clenched his teeth as the BlueMeramon came straight towards him. The Cyber Sleuth braced himself for an attack but gasped when his Garurumon (Black) let out a fierce howl, stunning the two Viruses.

"Dum Dum Upper!"

"Zettai Reido Punch!"

Galgomon and Yukidarumon tackled into the BlueMeramon and pushed them back before the pair could harm their master. Takumi's vision cleared and he smiled when his Digimon managed to subdue the BlueMeramon on their own. "Everyone…" he smiled as his team returned to him. "You did great!" he laughed.

Jimiken backed up into the wall in disbelief. "Oof! Say whaaaaat!?" He shook his head. "Hang—on—what is this…? What!?" He frowned at the fallen BlueMeramon. "These Digimon are hella weak! This ain't rock. It ain't fooling around, either!" He brought hand up to his forehead. "Hold on. What? Today's been kinda…" he cleared his throat a few times. "My throat is all…" he coughed to clear it, "Kinda messed up!" he hacked. He shook his head and placed his hands over his heart. "Are you feeling me?"

"Yes, of course!" his lackey hackers cheered.

"All righty," Jimiken smiled at his loyal posse. "On THAT note…" he looked towards Yuugo and Takumi before taking off in the opposite direction.

Yuugo frowned at that. "Huh…?" He wanted to go after them but suddenly remembered Takumi was there. He urgently looked towards the red-haired sleuth. "You should get out of here, quickly. I've disabled security in the surrounding area. If you go now, you should be able to get out safely."

"Alright, thanks!" Takumi nodded. Yuugo nodded back to him before departing. "W-wait, Yuugo…!" Takumi tried calling out to him but the other hacker was already gone. The Cyber Sleuth frowned to himself as he wanted to go over his thoughts on why Yuugo had been there in the first place, but a call suddenly came in from Kyoko.

"There! I got through!" the woman cried out. "Abort mission! Get out of there now!" she urgently told her assistant.

"H-huh!?" Takumi blinked at her. "Did something happen?" He shook his head as he told her the results of his operation. "Well, I managed to download the database so I'll leave right away."

"Oh?" the detective smirked at his successful endeavors. "You found the case files? All the more reason to hurry and get out," she nodded. "Our plans were leaked to the enemy," she explained. "I don't know how bad the damage is."

"Ah… that explains why there were hackers here…" Takumi nodded.

"For right now, just be careful," Kyoko warned him.

"Understood," Takumi said, cutting the call. He frowned to himself as the mystery of Yuugo would have to wait until later.

* * *

Yuuko spotted Takumi as he reappeared at the terminal. She quickly pulled on his arm to get him away from the lobby's open area. "The office has been in an uproar for a while now. Was everything all right?" she asked. "They didn't find you, did they?"

"No, but there are a lot of hackers around in the server," Takumi explained.

"I see," Yuuko nodded. "Then they're probably using all this hacker business to clean things up. I doubt Kamishiro would publicly admit to being infiltrated by hackers. It'd be a huge scandal. I'm guessing they'll keep this under wraps," she stated.

"We shouldn't stay any longer than necessary," Takumi suggested.

"Let's return to the detective agency, then," Yuuko agreed.

"Right," the red-haired boy nodded.

* * *

"Never underestimate an opponent, I suppose," Kyoko smirked at Matayoshi and Yuuko as they sat across from her. "You think someone really was eavesdropping?" Yuuko frowned at her Digivice but Kyoko chuckled. "Either way, we got the data we wanted. All's well that ends well and all that. Okay, let's check out our spoils," she nodded to her assistant.

Takumi quickly transferred the files and the four of them quickly sifted through the information. Matayoshi frowned as he skimmed through them. "There should be details of the illegal corporate buyout by Kamishiro in those files."

"There's information on the Nile Corporation as well," Kyoko nodded as she found something interesting. "Here it is! The file on Yamashina Makoto," she said, looking towards Yuuko.

"Yes, yes," Matayoshi nodded as he took a look at it too. "He was the lead researcher at Nile back then. It seems he was a man who took quite a lot of pride in his research."

"But he changed his line of work and insists he's never even heard of Kamishiro despite their having bought out his own former company," Kyoko crossed her arms as an intrigued smirk appeared on her face. "Hmm…"

"What's wrong, Kyo-chan?"

"Hmm… This is very interesting indeed." She pointed to another name on the file she was looking at. "There was another lead research at the Nile Corporation besides Yamashina Makoto… Suedou Akemi."

Yuuko gasped in surprise while Takumi's eyes widened in disbelief. "Suedou…?" he frowned as he remembered the eccentric scientist.

Matayoshi crossed his arms. "Ah, yes. I think I remember that guy… A misanthropist. He hated to be with other people and hardly left an impression. But what of it? What does he have to do with anything?"

Yuuko frowned. "I don't know the exact details, but… Suedou Akemi is said to be one of the architects of the foundation of the EDEN Network."

"EDEN!?" the older detective was taken aback. "Suedou was?"

"His main research was on turning human thought into data," the girl nodded. "The avatar system that forms the backbone of EDEN's virtual reality service was brought about almost entirely because of his work. But to think that he did that while at the Nile Corporation…" she brought her hand up to her mouth.

Kyoko did the same and closed her eyes as she considered the facts. "Hmm…"

"Say, Kyo-chan," Matayoshi stood up and placed his hands in his pockets. "Could you let me handle this case for a bit?" Curious, Kyoko opened her eyes to look at him. "I've never stopped thinking about it. I want to go back over it one more time, real thorough. Doing it my… I mean, our way," he pulled his cap down.

"If a true detective like you says so… I have no reason to deny you," Kyoko nodded.

"Sorry," he gratefully nodded to her. "I'm going to borrow these files."

"Go right ahead," the woman smiled. "Say hi to my dad."

"Okay…" the man started for the door. "See you later, then."

"Well, there we are," Kyoko smirked. "A tried-and-true detective will continue the case."

"Yeah…" Takumi nodded. "But should we really leave it all to Detective Matayoshi?"

"I don't see a problem," Kyoko crossed her arms and smirked at the boy. "I figured we would continue to assist with the investigation, of course."

"Ah…" Yuuko looked between the two investigators across from her. She nodded as there was nothing else they could do. "If you'll excuse me, then." She stood and Takumi politely showed her out.

When her assistant shut the door, Kyoko brought her hand up to her mouth. "Hmm… We all have our sorrows and our joys. I appreciate all of your efforts here," she smiled at the blue-eyed teenager. "This investigation involved some pretty thrilling stuff, even for a detective. You must be exhausted, body, mind and soul. Relax for a while."

Takumi brightly smiled at her and shook his head. "This might just be the adrenaline talking, but I'm not tired yet! A worried client and a puzzling case are calling! And dazzling rewards await us!" he declared.

"Hmm…" Kyoko chuckled at his energy. "You're certainly in good spirits. But what I mean is that you should rest while you can. That's one of your responsibilities, too. Because there will always be times when the cases won't wait and you won't be able to rest. So you should rest now while you can. Don't waste this window of opportunity."

The boy tilted his head to the side. "You say that, but I have to channel this energy somewhere, Kyoko-san."

"You're not convinced?" the woman raised an eyebrow at him. "You must be overflowing with energy." She looked around her office with a smile. "All right, I've got some work to give you. A special job that only you can do," she stated with an urgent nod.

"What is it?" Takumi eagerly asked. He paused as he noticed the scary smile on her face. "W-wait… You don't mean… a guinea pig for your latest caffeinated concoction!?"

Kyoko chuckled at his guess. "Such a rudimentary conjecture! No, the thought of you being a test subject was furthest from my mind. I was planning on giving you a treat. Hmm…" she took a moment to seriously consider what to put into his coffee.

"A… treat…?" Takumi gulped as he backed away from her. "How would it be a treat…?"

"Let's try to match things to your tastes this time," she suggested. "All right, to start with, which do you prefer? Salmon roe or sea urchin? I recommend both, personally," she stated with an eager smile.

"Ah… N-no… I'm completely okay, Kyoko-san…" he tried to protest but the woman ignored him. "Y-you don't have to…"

"Next I was thinking about adding in some stew. What do you like as far as ingredients go?" she asked. "Well, what might you like? Carrots, potatoes, beef, mushrooms… Or should we just throw them all in?"

Takumi let out a shaky chuckle before it turned into sobbing. "Why must the coffee gods punish me…?"

* * *

 **Final Notes:** Well, I suppose there will be minor TakumiXYuuko shipping. It can't be helped given how adorable Yuuko is. She's not cute in the same way Fuuka is in Persona 3... It's more like the cute Mitsuru shows whenever she's in a fast food restaurant... Yuuko's a bit psychotic though... and she's very unstable if you insult her family... Oh well. Also, the whole 'nothing to lose' bit... The localization uses "NVNG" or "Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained" and "SVSG" for "Something Ventured, Something Gained". It didn't really make a whole lot of sense to me though because the difference between those quotes is very subtle. The original Japanese is "Damemoto" for "Dame de motomoto" but Kyoko's dad played with the wording to say "Dame demo tomo to" which Kyoko shortens to "Dame tomo". As for Jimiken's "Are you picking up what I'm putting down?", I changed it to "Are you feeling me?" because he actually uses the English word "feeling" when he speaks. Plus, no... I'm not picking up what he puts down. For some reason, this saying irks me.


	9. Serial Disappearances in Akihabara

**Author's Notes:** Hmm... Okay... Another plot chapter. Well anyway, I really didn't bother setting up Takumi's DigiFarms but I guess for those curious, Takumi keeps an army of Baby I and Baby II Digimon there because he's weird, likes adorable things, and would never endanger anything so cute. He'll evolve them sometimes to fill out his Field Guide, sure, but their personalities are much better suited for helping him investigating cases and developing items. Which reminds me... I didn't give him the DLC Agumon wearing costumes... Mainly because... it's a shame to evolve them and lose their costumes. Still on a New Game Plus, it's completely possible to get them back again, but having three Agumon on his team is pointless.

* * *

"Okay," Kyoko nodded to Takumi as it was about time for them to return to their investigation. "What's our next move going to be? I think we need to get more information after all. We've got the Digital Waves happening all over the place, the Mystery Incidents, plus your half-cyber body. Plus there's the Kamishiro case that Matayoshi is working on. There's a lot we need to keep our eyes on."

"Yeah," Takumi nodded, "It's only been a few days but—" he stopped when the door to the agency opened behind him.

"Oh, my," Kyoko looked over to see who it was. "We have a visitor."

The woman wearing an officer's uniform looked around the strange detective's office in wonder. "Well, well. So this is Matayoshi-san's secret weapon."

"Eh!? Date-san!?" Takumi frowned.

The brunette narrowed her gaze on the teen. "Whoa, something is fishy! What's going on here?"

"Welcome to the reliable and experienced Kuremi Detective Agency," Kyoko smiled at the woman. "Do you have a case for us, Cyber Crimes Unit Special Office's Assistant Inspector Date Makiko?"

"Huh, you already know everything about me?" Date looked towards the blonde detective. "That makes this even fishier!" The inspector put her hand on her hip. "Well, I've taken the liberty of looking into you, too. That makes two of us. I guess we'll meet again."

"Eh…" Takumi nervously scratched his cheek as he didn't know what to make of the situation. "Just… what is going on…?"

"Hmm…" Kyoko thoughtfully mused. "Fishy, you say? That's a rather lackluster way of putting things for someone as unique and individualistic in their word and fashion choices, Assistant Inspector."

"What?" Date frowned at her.

"So you say 'fishy', but what exactly do you mean by that, I wonder? Is there actually some foul stench you've turned up? Or was that just a figure of speech?" Kyoko seriously frowned behind her hand. "You've piqued my curiosity."

"Hey now! What's that got to do with anything?" Date asked.

Takumi tried to calm the woman down. "Now, now… You came for a reason, right, Inspector?"

"Well… Since you know so much already, I'll just cut to the chase," she nodded. "You're helping Matayoshi-san with his investigation, right? Then that means you're helping me with my investigation as well." She cracked her knuckles threateningly. "Right?"

"Eh…?" Takumi took a step back, ready to run if necessary.

"But of course," Kyoko smiled at their prospective client. "As lowly detectives, we cannot abrogate our duty to assist the police." She turned towards Takumi and crossed her arms. "Isn't that right, my dear assistant?"

"Eh!?" The boy didn't like the way the detective was smiling. "Don't tell me…"

"My duties are yours," she stated with a nod. "And your duties are yours. Carry them out to the fullest." Kyoko quickly glanced at the wall clock. "Oops, I have to be going. I have an appointment with a client," she said, standing from her seat.

"W-wait! Kyoko-san…!" Takumi called out to her but she didn't even glance back at him as she disappeared out the door. He shakily laughed to himself since that left him alone with the strange inspector. "Ah…" he turned to look at the woman and noticed she was just staring back at him.

The two stood silently for a few minutes before Date finally spoke. "Ah? You were just thinking dirty thoughts, weren't you?"

"N-no, I wasn't," Takumi seriously shook his head.

"Hmph," the woman continued to stare at him. After a few seconds of deliberation she shook her head at him. "Okay, you're under arrest."

"E-eh…!?" Takumi backed away. "H-hold up! You're here for a case, right!? Just take a seat on the sofa and I'll hear you out! D-don't just arrest me for no reason!"

* * *

After he managed to get the inspector to settle down, he frowned as the situation was still a bit too much. Date leaned back in the sofa and rested her feet on the coffee table as she waited for the teen to take a seat. Takumi's blue eyes darted around the office for a while before he shrugged to himself. Since Kyoko was out, the responsibility to take the case fell onto Takumi so without another thought, he sat at the detective's usual spot on the sofa.

"So what can I do for you, Inspector Date?" the red-haired boy asked her as professionally as he could.

"You've heard the rumors?" she roughly asked him. "Of the 'Akiba Disappearances'? Nearly ten people have gone missing in Akihabara. Half of them haven't been officially reported yet and it hasn't even developed into a major case. But for a bunch of grown-ups to suddenly vanish, poof, without a trace, for no reason? In a span of a measly two months!?" Date frowned and shook her head. "That's weird, I'm telling you! This is a BIG deal! But as far as the top brass is concerned, since there isn't any valid connection between these incidents, we don't actually have a case. But my gut's telling me to investigate this."

Takumi crossed his arms. "I see…"

"You got a problem with that?" Date cracked her knuckles. "Then shut up and let me do my job!" she blew up at him.

"N-no… I'm listening!" Takumi quickly cried.

She paused and frowned to herself. "I lost my cool and started yelling at the top brass, at which point Matayoshi-san had to smack some sense into me. So the higher-ups stepped back and left me alone." An apologetic expression washed over her face. "Matayoshi-san saved my bacon yet again. Be that as it may…" she tilted her head to the side, "I finally got why that stubborn old man would back away from that case so quickly."

"Huh? Even Matayoshi-san?" the boy blinked. "Why would he do that?"

"To use his secret weapon for an investigation," she seriously answered. "So there should be no complaints if I use it too, then," Date smiled.

"R-right," the teen nodded. "I guess I have no choice but to accept then."

"Yeah, you do understand!" Date nodded. "Let's just get down to business!" She quickly sent the Cyber Sleuth some data and Takumi checked the file. "I just sent you the list of people who have gone missing. The 'Akiba Disappearances'," she told him. "We don't have much in the way of details 'cause it's not an official case. I used my gut to help pick out individuals here in Tokyo who might have a connection to any of the missing persons."

"Uh…" Takumi scanned the names but it didn't seem as though the people seemed related to each other. Their jobs, ages, and genders were all over the place and nothing seemed to match up. Just looking at it, the entire list was a disorganized mess. "I-I see…"

"What? You have a problem with that?" Date frowned at him.

"Uh… N-no," Takumi shook his head. "N-not at all…" He gulped as he worked up the nerve to say something though. "But—" he was cut off by a ringing Digivice.

Date tensed up as she stared at her cell. "Shit! Matayoshi-san is calling me! All right, I've got to go!" She flashed the boy a stern glare. "You should gather info on the people on that list for now! Something is bound to turn up. Some person in common? A place? A shared hobby? That's how it is on TV, right? All the time."

"Okay, but—"

"Oh, and do NOT tell Matayoshi-san about this," Date warned the boy. "If word gets out… You know what'll happen," she threatened him.

"Y-yeah," Takumi quickly nodded.

"As long as we're clear on that," the woman smiled. Without another word, she left.

Takumi let out a sigh as he studied the list of names again. He paused though when someone else came into the agency. "Welcome home, Kyoko-san," he crookedly smiled.

"How did it go?" the detective smirked at her assistant. "Did you youngsters have fun?"

The boy crookedly smiled. "Well, she gave me a case. Do you have time to hear the details?"

Curious, Kyoko nodded as she took a seat at her desk. As soon as Takumi finished with the basic summary, she seriously studied the list Date had sent him. "Jokes aside, we're caught up with a pretty rough customer now. That's your… no, that's my karma at work. Regardless, you took on the case, so I expect you to do a good job."

"I know," Takumi nodded. "But what about Detective Matayoshi?"

"I'll stay out of Detective Matayoshi's way by not making any moves out in the open," she stated. "Relax, though. I'll still be supporting you."

"That makes me feel a bit better," the boy chuckled.

"Well, let's get down to it. What are you planning to do?" she quizzed him with a smile.

"I was thinking of heading over to Akiba," Takumi answered with a serious nod.

"I see," she smiled. "To get information on the missing person from Akihabara? A detective needs to tread the same path over and over again." She chuckled at how much of a veteran the boy seemed now compared to before. "But I can tell you know that already."

"Of course!" Takumi confidently smiled.

"By the way…" she seriously began. "When I checked, 'fishy' had meanings like shady, dubious, and tricky. And certainly, a detective might unknowingly take on a fishy air, I suppose. But I think that's just a front and I'm not alone in that."

"Well, you have to admit that you can be pretty shady sometimes, Kyoko-san," Takumi smiled. "Of course, the same goes for me too," he frowned, staring at his unnatural body.

"As it is, you're an unconventional Cyber Sleuth," she smirked in agreement. "I'm looking forward to catching a whiff of whatever stench you wind up emitting."

"Er… Thanks…" the boy chuckled. "I think…"

"I'll leave the case to your discretion," Kyoko nodded to him. "As my assistant, I expect you to perform well."

"So this will be my first case on my own," Takumi crossed his arms. He smiled at that thought and nodded to his mentor. "Alright, I understand. Just leave it to me, Kyoko-san."

* * *

Takumi blinked as the strange nerd he had approached suddenly backed away from him in surprise. "What? No way!" the odd boy cried. "Is this an investigation? Are you a cop?"

"I'm a Cyber Sleuth," Takumi seriously answered.

"Oh, you're a 'sleuth'," the boy relaxed. "Then in that case, I have some info for you. I won't let it go for free, though."

"What is it?" the redhead asked, tilting his head to the side.

"I'm not asking for much," the nerd nodded. "I'm certainly not asking for money or anything. To tell you the truth, I… um… am in love. Pure, pure love."

"Love?" Takumi knit his eyebrows together.

"It was love at first sight for both of us," the other boy nodded. "But here's her deal, right? She's shy, but maybe it's her first time being in love. She's so pure, like a picture come to life. I've tried talking to her, but the words won't come out. So that's where you come in. I want you to go ask her something. Like, for her contact information. Her name, address, and her DigiLine ID. Could you do that one thing for me?"

Takumi frowned at that. "It's not love if you don't know her… And it certainly isn't love if _you_ aren't the one asking her for that yourself. Why would I even agree to do it?"

"Cause we're, like, friends and stuff," the boy pushed up his glasses. "Right? Best friends, even?"

"I don't even know you," the redhead shook his head.

"No way. Really? You won't?" the boy asked. "You'll really won't!?" He smirked at the Cyber Sleuth. "But it's really good info! Really, really super-good info!"

Takumi frowned as there didn't seem to be any other way to get the information from the boy. "Fine, I'll do it," he sighed. "How do I find her?"

"Well, if you see her, be sure to hit her up for her contact info," the boy nodded. "What does she look like? She wears glasses, has long hair… She's very prim and proper…" he wistfully sighed. "Oh, and she loves me. I lost track of her a while ago in Akihabara. Thought she might still be here," he frowned. "Oh, she works at a florist. If you ask there, they'll know. So I guess I'll see you around."

Takumi sighed as he prepared to start his search for the girl. "Right… Your information had better be worth it…"

"C'mon, man! I know so many things. I'm talking ultra-rare, gold-level deets!" he cried.

Takumi took a deep breath before setting off. He asked a few girls he came across before noticing a young woman with glasses staring at the nerd from across the street. He carefully approached her and noticed she was muttering something to herself. "You're still present. Please leave."

"Excuse me," Takumi got her attention. "Are you a florist by any chance?"

"Huh? Florist?" the woman turned to him in slight surprise. "What are you talking about?"

"That man across the street," Takumi looked over towards the nerd, "why are you staring at him?"

"What? Why am I looking at that person?" She frowned to herself. "That's, well… because I… Because that weird guy is stalking me! So I'm hiding here until that creep goes away. I'd hate for him to follow me home."

"Ah…" the boy seriously nodded. "I had a feeling…"

"By the way," the woman blinked at him, "who are you? You wouldn't happen to be…"

"I work at a detective agency," Takumi told her.

"What? A detective?" She looked over towards the strange nerd again. "That weird guy… hired you to ask after me?"

"In a way, yeah," Takumi nodded.

"Um… Can you tell him something for me?" the girl requested. "I am totally turned off by weird guys, and there's no way I would return the affections of a weirdo like him."

"Of course!" Takumi frowned.

"Please," she begged him. "You have to do this for me." She gave the boy a relieved smile. "But I'm glad you came along. If this kept up, I might have done something drastic."

Takumi blinked as her words were strangely ominous. "What do you mean? Could you have worked something out?"

The woman gasped and brought a hand to her mouth. "I said that 'I'd be able to work something out'?" She shook her head. "No. 'It will work itself out somehow' would be more accurate. You have quite a memory. I suppose that befits a sleuth. It's admirable," she praised him.

The redhead smiled to her before turning toward the crosswalk. "I'll be sure to take care of things for you then. 'Stalker', directed by Tarkovsky!" he randomly cried out before taking off.

The nerd brightened as he saw Takumi returning. "You're back!" He frowned though when he noticed the blue-eyed boy had an intense glare on his face as he came charging towards him.

"You!" Takumi roughly grabbed the nerd by his shirt. "Listen up, weirdo! What was that, 'pure, pure love' nonsense!? You're a stalker! I'm gonna report you, you creep!" The other boy let out a shrill shriek and began trembling. Takumi dropped him and intensified his glare. "All right, buster! Time to spill it! And stay away from her from now on!"

"Yow!" the man stumbled backwards. "I'm so sorry! I'll tell you whatever you want!"

"What do you know about the Akiba Disappearances?" the sleuth interrogated him.

"Um, yeah, so there's this guy I know, okay?" the boy protectively brought his hands up over his face. "And he's in and out, okay? Of a certain forum in EDEN, okay!? And that guy knows somebody, okay? Who disappeared in Akihabara, okay!? And there are people… That guy knows somebody who knows somebody else who knows somebody, okay!? And they're all disappearing, okay!? Maybe, okay? Maybe that forum is related to the disappearances!? Just my opinion, but I wanted to share it, okay!?"

"WHERE is this EDEN forum?" Takumi asked.

The nerd fumbled with his Digivice. "It's r-r-r-right here! The Comic Mania forum. Or the 'Comimani forum' for short!"

"THANK YOU!" Takumi continued to loudly yell.

"You're welcome!" the boy shakily nodded before taking off.

Takumi took in a deep breath and calmed himself down. "It's like someone flipped a switch or something," he shrugged to himself. "It works when you lose it sometimes though," Takumi chuckled. He shook his head as he watched the nerd continue to fumble down the street. "But falling for the florist girl? How trite!" When he could no longer see the stalker, the Cyber Sleuth finally took the time to look at the URL he just received. "Anyway, I got the info. I'm off to EDEN's Comimani forum." He started down the street but paused. "And while I'm on my way, I think I'll skip reporting into Kyoko-san."

* * *

"It's the Comic Mania forum, or the 'Comimani' forum for short," Takumi blinked in surprise when he arrived into the forum room. There were more people here than he had expected, but that was actually a good thing. "Let's get info on the missing individuals!" he nodded to himself. He spoke with a few of the visitors before a country girl with short blonde hair blinked at him in surprise.

"Huh? You're a detective? Lookin' into the Akiba Disappearances?" she asked him.

"That's right," the boy nodded. "Is there anything you know that you can tell me?"

She frowned at him and dropped her voice down to a whisper. "Maybe we shouldn't be talkin' quite so loud about this," she suggested to him. "I reckon I have a hunch who the culprit is."

"Eh!?" Takumi stared at the girl in surprise. "You do!?"

The girl shushed him with a frown. "Hush now! I told you, not so loud!"

"S-sorry…" the redhead lowered his voice.

"We'd be in it for sure if the criminal heard us!"

"Okay, but what makes you so sure the criminal might be around?" Takumi asked her.

"Right? It's like I know what the criminal is thinkin'!" the girl giggled. "At the very least, it was someone who'd been hittin' up this forum."

"So a regular?"

The girl looked around them. "It's too risky to talk here. Can we talk in the real world? Come to the used bookstore in Nakano."

"You mean Mandarake at Broadway?"

The blonde smiled at him and nodded, glad he knew what store she was referring to. "Okay, then, I'll be waitin' for y'all!"

"She left," Takumi blinked. "I'll go to the used bookstore when I'm finished," he decided, seeing as there were still other people to talk to. And who knows? He might be able to encounter the culprit themselves if he was sharp enough. After going around the entire room, Takumi stopped walking. "I think I've got enough information. It's about time I headed to the booksto—" he paused when he saw a tall boy entering the forum room. "Arata!?"

"Hm?" Arata looked up towards the red-haired boy. "Hey, what are you doing…? He did a double-take and stared at the Cyber Sleuth in surprise. "Whoa! Takumi!? What the hell are you doing here?"

"Working," Takumi simply replied.

"Oh, you're investigating a case, huh?" Arata asked, avoiding his gaze. "Hmm? What's the investigation about?"

Takumi remained silent for a while. "Sorry, but… I can't say. It's one of those confidential things."

"Huh!?" Arata put the shorter boy into a headlock. "Why the attitude all of a sudden!? I thought we were buds! Come on, spill the beans!"

"Arata…!" the redhead complained. "Let go!" When the older boy didn't seem to be relenting, he sighed. "Alright! I'll tell you! I'm looking into the strange disappearances that have been occurring at Akihabara. I traced it back to here where a member might be the culprit."

"The Akiba Disappearances?" Arata let him go and crossed his arms. "Yeah, I heard some folks from this one forum went missing. And one of the members is the perpetrator?"

"That's right," Takumi nodded. "Ah…" he remembered the girl from before. "I'd better get going to Broadway…"

"That sounds cool," the older boy smiled. "I'll give you a hand. I'm free right now. Let's go to Nakano, then. We're going to meet with our informant there, right?"

"Why are you tagging along, Arata? I mean… you were here for a reason, right?" Takumi asked with a tilt of his head.

"Was there something I needed to do here?" Arata asked, averting his gaze. He quickly put his hands in his pockets as he came up with an answer. "Not particularly. It's not like that. I just happened to be passing by. That's all."

"Eh…?" the younger boy stared at his friend.

"Is there something on your mind?" Arata frowned at him. "Like maybe, what's the Comimani forum? Like if it stands for something really out there, like 'Communist Manufacturing' or something?"

"Arata…" Takumi seriously looked into the older boy's eyes.

The raven-haired teen tensed up as he knew the redhead was way sharper than he let on. "I'll go on ahead!" he stated as he hurried towards the terminal to get away from the nosy Cyber Sleuth. "Don't keep me waiting, okay?"

Takumi tilted his head to the side as the older boy walked away. "Eh…? But I already knew you liked comics, Arata… Why hide that you're a regular here?"

* * *

The country girl brightened as soon as Takumi came up the escalators. "Hey! Detective, over here!"

"Ah, you're here," Takumi smiled at her.

"Hey, how long were y'all gonna make me wait?" she frowned at him. "I'm getting' gray hairs waitin' on ya!"

Takumi tilted his head to the side. "You were?" he asked, staring at her blonde hair.

The girl stared at him oddly. "What? Hey, you… You ain't gonna make no complaint? Could it be…? Are you that kind of feller? In one ear and out t'other?" she asked him.

"Huh…?" the boy blinked at her.

"Well, anyways… Just be careful next time!" she scolded him. "Going back to what we were talking 'bout… I don't reckon that the criminal is a Comimani member."

"Wait, but earlier you said—"

"That forum's a place for manga fans, yeah?" the girl cut him off with a smile. "There are some manga artists there, too. A little while ago, someone uploaded an original manga to the forum. And it was really good, what with the drawings and the frame breaks 'n' all. The story and characters seemed sorta familiar. It weren't not exact copy or nothin' but there was a right strong feelin' of déjà vu."

"Okay…" Takumi nodded.

"But there were these idiots who left a bunch of trash comments on this comic," she frowned. "I'm guessing you know what's coming next? They were the first to disappear."

"What!?" the blue-eyed boy frowned at that.

"But non-members can comment on the site as well, so people who aren't connected to the forum have gone missin' as well," the girl stated. "I'm bettin' it's the folks who left crummy comments who're the ones who went missing. Only official forum members can upload manga to the site, though."

"I see," Takumi nodded, bringing a hand up to his chin. "That certainly narrows down the pool of suspects."

"So the way I figure it, the culprit's gotta be…" the girl shook her head and smiled. "Well, I ain't got not proof or nothin'. And the manga and the comments have long since been deleted."

"There's no helping it then. You gave me a lot of good information though, so thanks."

"There's no way to identify the perpetrator now. But even still, I've been a big help, right?" the girl brightly smiled. "To be honest, I don't want no trouble," she frowned. "I don't know, but the forum's vibe has changed since members started disappearing. It's strange, I know. I mean, it's cyberspace. But still, I seriously get the shivers sometimes."

Although Takumi understood the feeling, he asked his question anyways. "What do you mean?"

"It's like… someone's starin' at me. You know the feeling?" the girl asked. "It was awful and nobody would wanna talk about it. Yeesh," she shivered. "I got goosebumps just talkin' about it. I ain't been to EDEN for a while."

"I see…" Takumi frowned.

"Well, then, detective, good luck, y'hear?" the girl wished him well. "Y'all need to break a leg!"

"Eh!?" Takumi blinked at her. "What are you talking about!? Break my leg? Why would I do that? I'd end up in the hospital, wouldn't I?"

"Whoa, what's gotten into you all of a sudden?" the girl stared at him in surprise. "I thought you were listenin' all serious-like and now you're tryin' to be the funny one?"

Takumi smirked at her. "What?"

"Jeez, what's your deal?" the girl shook her head at him. "This is serious talk and you're goin' all funny on me. This is hog-wild." She shrugged it off. "I'm guessin' this must be a Tokyo thing." With that, she went into the bookstore.

Takumi chuckled as he placed his hands on his hip. "At least she seems to be in a better mood…"

"Hmph…" Arata smirked as he stood directly behind the laughing Cyber Sleuth. "So, the data's all been deleted, huh?"

"Arata!?" Takumi whirled around to face the older boy.

Arata focused on the information they just got. "I suppose a newbie might think that."

"What do you mean?" the younger boy asked with a tilt of his head. "Do you think you can recover the data?"

"All right, leave this to me!" the hacker nodded. "By which I mean, can I use your agency's PC?" Without another word, he walked away.

"Arata headed off to the Kuremi Detective Agency," Takumi narrated to himself. He tilted his head to the side. "Hmm… Okay then," he shrugged as he followed his friend.

* * *

As he returned to the agency, Takumi noticed Arata sitting at Kyoko's desk, typing away at her keyboard. He blinked when he noticed Kyoko standing directly behind the raven-haired hacker, watching his every action with intrigue. "Eh!?" Takumi looked at the both of them. "You actually let him use the desktop?"

"Yeah," Arata smirked. "Hand on just… one… sec!" He smugly chuckled. "Here it is! The site log. Now we can track down the data that was deleted. Even when users think they've deleted data, it still exists on the server. The region where it's stored is protected and the data itself is encrypted, but…" he finished his work and hit the 'enter' key with his index finger, resulting in a successful ping. "If I can break into EDEN's ordinary servers, then this should be a snap for me" he boasted.

"Oh?" Kyoko blinked at the screen. "That's brilliant."

"Oh, it's nothing, really," Arata shrugged. "Now, do you want to look for the data in question? If we restore the comments we should be able to find what we're looking for."

"Can you?" Takumi asked him.

Arata nodded and frowned at the results that came up on the screen. "What is this data?"

"Hmm…" Kyoko brought her hand up to her mouth. "If that's what we're looking for, then it was put together by a very unique program."

"Could this be…? Is this a Digimon program?" Arata knit his eyebrows together. "I've never been able to properly analyze one."

"I see…" Kyoko nodded in agreement. "The structure is certainly similar but… If so, then it's been significantly altered."

Takumi stared at the data himself and nodded. "This is just like what happened with Baku… but not quite…"

The detective smiled at his insight. "It's been affected by 'something' that can't be expressed with zeroes and ones. Or maybe that's what that very something is."

"It's also possible that an Eater was involved!" Arata stated, crossing his arms. He chuckled at how everything turned out. "This is pretty cool! If I keep running across stuff like this, maybe I could be a Cyber Sleuth too." He shook his head as he quickly got up from Kyoko's chair. "But hanging around here won't help! Let's check it out, Takumi!"

"Eh!?" the boy was a bit surprised by his zeal. "Where are we going?"

"Unsurprisingly enough, this weird data was sent on to Cron after it was deleted," Arata stated. "This way we can check it directly and if it's a nasty program like an Eater we can just use our Digimon to fight it off. We should strike while the iron is hot! Let's meet at Galacta Park in Cron!" Arata quickly took off to find an access point.

"Arata…!" the redhead called out after him, but the older boy was already gone. "Ah…"

Kyoko chuckled at her assistant's friend. "Well, you've got one talented partner there! If he's your assistant… then that makes him my assistant's assistant," she smiled. "Well, then, my dear assistant! Yield to your assistant's zeal! There's an old saying. 'With skill comes luck'. When you really look at it, the fact that you and he have formed this connection shows your own luck… along with your skill. Respect that, or you're sure to regret it."

"It's like my bonds with the Digimon, right?" Takumi asked before putting on a smile and nodding to her. "Understood! Well, I'm off! I've got to meet Arata at Galacta Park in Cron!" He started for the television but paused as Kyoko crossed her arms.

"Hm, so the case is coming along well, then," she mused to herself. "There's probably nothing to worry about…" She sternly looked up towards her assistant. "Even so, don't think you can slack off," she reminded him.

"I know," Takumi nodded. "I'll be back with the results soon, Kyoko-san!"

* * *

"Shucks, that detective ain't here no more," the blonde country girl frowned as she looked around Broadway. "I was hopin' he might come with me to the cops. I don't want no trouble…" She smiled to herself. "But I can't just leave it like this! I'm the sweetest girl in all of Japan. Is the detective still around here, I wonder?" The girl paused when she heard someone coming towards her. She smiled when it was a familiar face. "Oh, it's you! Heck, it's been an awful long time! No contact, wonderin' how y'all were… We were all so worried! Wonderin' if you might'n've disappeared…" Her friend didn't say anything but turned around. "Hey! What's the matter? You're freakin' me out!" The other person motioned for her to come along. "What? Go to Akihabara? Now? Sure… Sure, I guess… Shall we, uh… get goin' then?"

* * *

"Okay, you ready?" Arata seriously asked Takumi before they set out on the search. "The data we need should be somewhere on Cron's first level and we're going looking for it."

"Of course!" Takumi cheerily smiled.

"It could potentially be a nasty program," Arata smirked. "Be careful when you check it out, okay?"

"No problem!" the redhead made a fist and brought it up to his chest.

"What's with you?" Arata frowned at the odd boy. "You're really into this. Except the look on your face is weirding me out."

"Don't worry about it!" Takumi chuckled at his assistant. "With skill come luck!"

"Huh?" Arata knit his eyebrows together. "Sheesh. I just do not get you sometimes," he shook his head.

"That's how I occasionally feel about Kyoko-san," Takumi laughed. "Now let's get going!"

* * *

"This has got to be it," Arata nodded at the files Takumi just scanned. "Okidoke, I'll see what I can do." He pulled up multiple monitors and began analyzing the data. "Hmm. It's not protected at all… But there's hardly any data here…" He paused as he noticed something strange. "Wait, what's this? I'm getting some weird feedback. Does this link to somewhere else?"

Takumi sensed a wave of static wash over him before he noticed a strange presence. "A Digimon!?"

Arata stopped whatever it was he was doing. "Watch out, Takumi!" he warned the younger boy. "I accessed something strange on the other end of that link. It's coming!"

"I sense it!" Takumi nodded as sent his Digimon forward to preempt the Digimon that suddenly appeared. "Everyone, go!"

"Dum Dum Upper!"

"Zettai Reido Punch!"

"Freeze Fang!"

Arata's eyes widened as the younger boy was able to quickly defeat the cloaked Perfect-level Digimon so effortlessly with a team of Adults. With the strange Digimon down, Arata quickly worked to have it analyzed. "Wisemon?" he frowned as it wasn't a breed he had seen anywhere before. "Just what kind of Digimon is this?"

Wisemon slowly got up and groaned. "Don't… look…"

"What!?" Arata glared at the Digimon.

"Don't look…" the Virus stated again. "Don'tlookdon'tlookdon'tlook!" It frantically repeated the phrase over and over again before Takumi sensed another wave of static washing over them.

"It's trying to escape!" he cried out as he tried to reach out to the Digimon as it began to disappear.

"Hey, don't let him get away!" Arata cried out. He quickly opened up a monitor and collected the data from Takumi's quick scan. "Whew, got him! That was pretty damn close!"

"Did you find him!?" Takumi urgently asked.

Arata chuckled to himself. "I told you to leave it to me! I followed him like a hawk! Looks like he was running toward… Akihabara! There's an Internet café called Arahabaki in a building down some sketchy alley. It's been out of business for some time now. I know the place. There's a used book store downstairs from it." Arata quickly deactivated his hacking tool. "That's bingo, with a triple seven! Jackpot!" he smugly stated. "Maybe that's where the culprits behind these missing persons cases are making their hideout!"

The red-haired sleuth paused to seriously consider something. "I'd better report this in to Inspector Date."

"What?" Arata frowned at him. "Call it in to the police? You want backup from that detective chick doing the cop cosplay?"

"Yeah," Takumi nodded. "She was the one who requested this case."

"Hey now, no thank you!" the older boy shook his head. "Calling her is just asking for trouble! At least wait until we figure things out first!"

Takumi brought his hand up to his mouth and thought it over. "I suppose I can wait until I get proper results…"

"Anyway," Arata turned towards the exit, "we should hurry over there. If he gets away again, we're screwed. Promise you won't call anyone in?" he frowned at Takumi. "Not even that old guy, Matayoshi or whatever. I'll be waiting in Akihabara, so hurry up! And you wait for me, too! We're solving this one together! Do you have my back in this, pal?" he asked with a smile. Arata didn't wait for Takumi's answer though as he quickly took off without the younger boy.

The blue-eyed boy watched Arata get farther away before frowning to himself. "There's something not right with this case…" He closed his eyes for a moment before shaking his head. He didn't have time to waste right now. "I'm off to Akihabara!"

* * *

"I didn't call for you," Arata crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes on Takumi as he arrived, "cop."

Takumi smiled at the older boy. "I came on my own accord," he played along. "It didn't matter whether you called or not."

"Even if I did, I wouldn't help you anyway," the older boy tried to be difficult. "Our partnership is through." Both boys chuckled before turning towards the alleyway the old Internet café used to be. "Hey, back there!" Arata pointed out the location. "I wonder what's waiting for us there."

Takumi followed Arata a bit before sensing a strange Digital Wave. "Arata!"

"Wh-what is it?" Arata tensed up as the world around them glitched with static. Before they knew it, the area around them warped into a strange half-digital, half-real state. "Seriously!?" the older boy exclaimed. "This is the same phenomenon as the one we saw in the Shinjuku Underground! So does that mean there's an Eater here!?"

"It has to," Takumi frowned, "but I don't think it's completely related to the case at hand though."

"Yeah, I guess so," Arata agreed. "Come on. Let's keep moving."

"From one thing to the next," Takumi smirked.

"What do you mean, 'from one thing to the next'?" the older boy sighed. He shrugged it off though and smiled at the interesting younger teen. "That's true though. It's never boring when I'm with you." The two teens began exploring the new labyrinth, but Arata paused when he spotted a familiar blonde girl caught up in the mess. "Look, over there!"

Takumi blinked when he recognized it to be the person who gave him information about the perpetrator. "Huh? Is that…?"

"Mari!" Arata ran over to her.

"Arata!?" Takumi's eyes widened. "W-wait…!"

The raven-haired boy ignored him though as he examined the girl. "Mari! Hey, Mari!" He frowned as the girl didn't really respond. She just stood there with a blank smile on her face. "Snap out of it!" The girl remained silent so Arata turned to Takumi for answers. "Why Mari? Did she just get caught up in this by accident? No way. Did whoever's behind all this get her, too?"

Takumi knit his eyebrows together as he tried to calm his friend down. "Uhhh… Keep calm and carry on luggage?"

"Yeah… I know, I know," he took a deep breath as he dismissed the redhead's poor joke. "Panicking isn't going to solve anything. We have to take care of this Eater. Then this phenomenon goes away and Mari will go back to normal."

"Maybe," Takumi nodded as he kept his eyes peeled for any sign of an Eater or that Digimon from before.

"Okay, let's resume the investigation," Arata stated. "There might be other people caught up in all this. Let's have a look around."

Further into the labyrinth, Takumi slowed down as he saw a dark grey-haired man. "You…!" he frowned.

"S-suedou!?" Arata blinked in surprise.

The scientist looked away from the intriguing buildings and towards the pair of teens. "Oh my, well if it isn't you two."

"What are you doing here?" Arata asked, putting his hands into his pockets. "You didn't actually predict that the phenomenon would occur in Akihabara, did you?"

The man chuckled at that. "I did, as a matter of fact! My research is rapidly advancing to the point where I can pinpoint a Digital Wave state. I can identify the area where the shift will occur… Within some degree of precision, anyway," he shrugged.

"Shift?" Arata knit his eyebrows together. "You mean this phenomenon?"

"Yes," Suedou nodded. "I have named it a 'Digital Shift'!"

"Huh!?" Takumi frowned. "Hey, that's the 'labyrinth' phenomenon! When you formally publish, you should call it that!"

"Labyrinth?" the man smirked at that name. "Hmm. That does have a nice ring to it. It conjures up a vague sense of nostalgia." He shook his head at the redhead. "But it's already been decided. This phenomenon shall be known as the Digital Shift!" he let out a squealing chuckle.

"Labyrinth sounds cooler!" Takumi glared at him.

"Whatever you want to call it," Arata shook his head, confused as to why his friend was so riled up, "whenever the phenomenon occurs, an Eater appears. Defeating the Eater will return things to normal?" he asked Suedou.

"Indubitably!" the man nodded. "As you proved once before! For which I must thank you again!" he smirked at the boys.

Arata crossed his arms. "There are other people in here besides us. Things are strange across the board. Is that also due to the phenomenon of yours?"

"Hmm. That may indeed be the case," Suedou shrugged. "I can't imagine there being extreme effects on anyone's physical or mental state just from the Digital Shift," he stated, staring at Takumi curiously. "We're perfectly healthy right now. There may be long-term effects after a while, however."

"Then the cause must lie elsewhere," Arata surmised.

"Like I said before, it's probably that Digimon we were chasing," Takumi seriously stated.

"An Eater or that Digimon we let get away," the raven-haired boy nodded as he didn't know which of the two was more likely, despite his friend's certainty.

"Nothing would surprise me if it happened in the real world," Suedou said. "I must say, at any rate, that this phenomenon fascinates me. There aren't any possibilities I can rule out."

"So then the only way to know what's going on for sure is for us to go have a look firsthand?" Arata raised an eyebrow at the man. He chuckled before turning back to look at Takumi. "I'm guessing that was your intention all along, huh?"

"Of course," Takumi nodded, still glaring suspiciously at the scientist before them.

"That's right," Suedou nodded. "That's right! That's exactly how it is! I have some more investigating to do around here. If you need anything, feel free to call upon me!"

"Alright then," the redhead took the man up on his offer. "So did you discover anything new about the labyrinth?"

"Indeed, the occurrence of Digital Shifts is related to the density of the Digital Wave," the man told him. "When a 'catalyst' is applied to locations where the Digital Wave is at its most dense, it digitally transitions, or 'shifts'. Thus, the term 'Digital Shift'."

"I see," Takumi brought a hand up to his mouth. "And what about these people? They don't seem to be responding normally. In fact, they appear to be in a comatose state without being in a coma."

Suedou smirked as he realized what type of information the boy was searching for. "You know of the 'immune system', yes? The body treats germs as 'outsiders', fiercely resisting them."

"The body does its best to fight off anything foreign so as to preserve its normal functions," Takumi nodded.

"This makes external interference difficult. Thus, we find it takes a very long time for genes to change… Resistance acts as a throttle on the speed at which something can evolve." Suedou paused for a while before shaking his head. "But I digress. What this means is that thanks to the human body's obstinacy, we see resistance even in abnormal environments such as this. But the cause of these people's conditions is a different matter. You see, when a soul is without a body…" he frowned as he intently studied Takumi's neutral gaze, "well, they just aren't very sturdy."

"Is that so?" Takumi carefully kept his cool.

"Is there anything else I can help you with?" Suedou smiled at the curious red-haired teen.

"For now? No," the Cyber Sleuth looked away from him. "Now if you'll excuse us… We have a Digimon and Eater to take care of."

"Please don't hesitate to come again," Suedou waved at the boys as they went further into the labyrinth.

"What was with those questions?" Arata raised an eyebrow at his friend.

"I just wanted to see if he could explain a few things for me," Takumi shrugged. "Anyway, let's focus on—" he paused when he saw a boy with glasses frozen in the labyrinth with his arms covering his face. The redhead walked up to the nerd and thoughtfully stared at him. "It's that weird guy. He must've been taken, too!"

"Yeah, who is this guy?" Arata frowned at the strange person. "You know him? He's not a member of the Comimani forum and he wasn't on the list."

"He wasn't…" Takumi nodded as his mind rapidly began working something strange out.

"But isn't that a bit harsh," Arata turned to his friend, "calling him 'the weird guy' like that?"

"He's a stalker though," the blue-eyed boy plainly responded. "He thought she was the florist girl!"

"What? What are you talking about?" Arata shook his head at him. "I don't really get it, but he has nothing to do with the manga that was uploaded to the site. But that might not be enough," the raven-haired teen crossed his arms. "Just because he's not a member of the forum isn't proof of anything."

"Hm?" Takumi tilted his head to the side as he stared at Arata curiously. "How do you know he's not a part of the site, Arata?"

"How do I know he's not a member?" he blinked. Takumi nodded and Arata quickly looked away from him. "Well, he's… I don't know… There's just… something about him." He shook his head. "He just doesn't seem like a member of the Comimani forum, y'know?"

"He doesn't?" Takumi brought his hand up to his face and closed his eyes. "But just the fact that he became involved means that he got caught up with someone who _is_ a part of the forum… Given the culprit's MO, he was probably targeted for trolling or harassing…" Takumi's blue eyes snapped open as something clicked. "That florist…! I knew what she said sounded a bit too ominous to not be a threat!"

"Takumi!?" Arata was surprised when the younger boy took off without him. "Did you figure something out? Hey!" The hacker frowned as he quickly went after the Cyber Sleuth.

* * *

Takumi frowned to himself when he spotted the prim girl he met earlier in Akihabara standing in a dead-end, painting with a large ink brush. "Have to draw…" she muttered, "more… Have to draw…"

"So the culprit is you!" Takumi stated, placing his hands at his hips.

"No. Frickin'. Way…" Arata stared at the girl in surprise. "YOU'RE the culprit behind those disappearances!?"

"Do you know her, Arata?" Takumi looked to his friend in surprise.

The girl stopped drawing and smiled when she saw Arata. "Huh? Sanada-kun? Is that you, Sanada-kun? Ah! It's Sanada-kun! It's really Sanada-kun!"

"Nishino-san… Are you serious?" the raven-haired teen asked in disbelief. "What are you doing?"

"You can't tell by looking?" she asked with a smile. "I'm drawing a manga! Here, look! Look!" She began frantically painting again. "Look, look, look! See how much I've done? I've been able to draw as much as I want! It's not fanfic! It's an original work! It's completely original!"

Arata hid his frown behind the collar of his jacket. "Nishino-san…"

"How is it!?" Nishino asked him. "What do you think, Sanada-kun? I-I'm incredible, aren't I? If I can draw this well, I should have no problem breaking into the industry and becoming a pro!"

Takumi frowned at the girl's delusions but said nothing as Arata tried to get through to her. The older boy shook his head. "You say you're drawing a manga? I don't get it. How is that a manga? Seriously, I'm not laughing."

Nishino stopped again and seriously stared at the teen. "Even you're trashing my manga, Sanada-kun. I knew that would be your reaction. I knew it." She let out a shaky breath.

Takumi tensed up as a familiar presence appeared. "Arata!" He tackled into the older boy as an attack came at them from out of nowhere. "Wisemon!" he cried out as the Perfect Digimon emerged behind Nishino.

"Whoa, that Digmon!" Arata tensed up as Wisemon loomed over the three of them. "Why the hell is it so damn big!?"

"You're the same as the others, Sanada-kun," Nishino psychotically stated. "You ignore, then insult… my… work, then you trample all over… my… dreams, laughing, and shaming me… You smile and go on living as if nothing happened."

"Dammit, Takumi," Arata reluctantly stated as he prepared his Digimon for a battle. "I think she's missing a few screws."

"Is the Digimon possessing…?" Takumi shook his head. "N-no… it's different… She's possessed the Digimon…" He clenched his fists as there was nothing else he could do but fight. "We'll defeat Wisemon and save everyone," he adamantly declared.

Nishino laughed as she began drawing again. "But I wiped the smirks off their faces. Here, whatever I say, goes. Whatever I draw in my manga becomes true. You won't be laughing at me for long. Of course, I won't kill anyone. After all, once my manga is complete… I'll need you guys to be my readers! You will be utter captives to my comic brilliance!" she cried. "Now could you please be quiet until I'm done? Please, until it's ready, don't look at anything! Don't look, don't look, don't look, don't look…" She frantically repeated the phrase before screaming at the boys. "DON'TLOOK!"

"Arata! Let's go!" Takumi called out to him. The Cyber Sleuth quickly sent his Digimon forward to attack. "Xros Combo!"

"Gatling Arm!"

"Snowball Fight!"

"Foxfire!"

Wisemon quickly countered them by pointing one of the stones he carried at their barrage of attacks. "Pandora Dialogue!"

Takumi watched as the three attacks were recorded into the stone and returned to his Digimon with twice the speed. "Everyone!" He hurried over to his injured team and fumbled with the recovery patches in his belt pouch. "Hang in there!"

"Damn!" Arata grit his teeth as he had his Chrysalimon try its Data Crusher attack on the enemy only to have the Wisemon quickly disappear. "Not only is he bigger, but he's also stronger and faster! We can't hit it!"

Takumi scanned the field and frowned when he noticed the Digimon's presence kept shifting all over the place. With the enemy constantly moving around, he had trouble giving out good orders to his team. Still, his Digimon gradually became used to dodging the attacks as Takumi told them which direction they came from. "If this keeps up, we'll be too tired to continue," the redhead mused.

"Data Crusher!"

"Foxfire!"

Both attacks missed and both Chrysalimon and Garurumon (Black) had to dodge out of the way as Wisemon returned the wolf's flames back at them. Arata frowned as he tried to come up with a plan. "Takumi! Have your Digimon use long range attacks again!"

"Galgomon! Use Gatling Arm!"

The Beast Man Digimon fired at Wisemon and the Perfect Digimon quickly countered him. "Pandora Dialogue!"

Arata smirked. "You're open now!"

Chrysalimon quickly to advantage of the Digimon's blind spot. "Data Crushing!"

Wisemon soon noticed him though so warped out of the area. When he reappeared, Takumi quickly called out to his team to jump out of the way as the large Digimon continued to abuse his sped up copy of Galgomon's Gatling Arm. The Cyber Sleuth's eyes widened though when he noticed Nishino was in the open. Without thinking, he tackled into the girl before Wisemon's attack could hurt her.

She screamed as she was torn away from the large book she had been drawing in. "My manga!"

Takumi turned his head towards it and watched as Wisemon faltered as the shots hit the book. The redhead frowned a bit, but held his right hand out towards the book to scan it. "Ah…!" the boy cried out when he realized the target they were attacking wasn't Wisemon's true body. "Arata! The book! Attack the book!"

"What!?" the raven-haired boy frowned at Takumi, but paused as the other boy's Garurumon (Black) began to spew fire on the large book. Wisemon roared in pain and Arata understood at once what Takumi had discovered. "Chrysalimon! Go!"

"Xros Combo!" Takumi cried out.

"Freeze Fang!"

"Zettai Reido Punch!"

"Dum Dum Upper!"

"Data Crusher!"

The Wisemon let out a pained cry before his body disappeared from space. Nishino fell to her knees in despair when her only means of fulfilling her wishes vanished without a trace. "My dreams…" she shook her head. "They're all… Without them… I can't draw anymore…"

Takumi sadly shook his head at the woman. "Nishino-san… That's not true…"

Arata nodded and knelt before her. "Nishino-san… I was really looking forward to your manga. You know how you like to draw manga?" he flashed her a smile. "I was jealous of that, because it looks so much fun, but all I can do is read them." The woman frowned as she considered his words. "I honestly can't believe things turned out this way. No, I don't WANT to believe it. I guess I just never realized, Nishino-san."

Nishino lowered her head apologetically. "Sanada-kun… I just… wanted everyone… to enjoy it… But something started to… swell up inside me… I couldn't stop it…" she shook her head. "Why? Tell me… Why?"

Takumi felt a tingling shiver run down his spine before he caught a glimpse of a ghostly boy. "Ah!?"

Arata saw it too and he quickly grabbed Nishino's arm in an attempt to get her back to her feet. "This is bad. RUN!" he cried to her in a panic.

"Huh?" the girl looked up at him in confusion. She paused as she sensed something behind her so turned to see what it was. The sight of it, though, only made her scream.

Arata could do nothing as the Eater that appeared behind her suddenly swung a tentacle at her, eating her data. The raven-haired boy watched the girl he was holding onto fall to the ground. "N-nishino-san!?"

"Arata! Get back!" Takumi cried out.

"Damn you!" the older boy seethed in anger. "How dare you!?"

"Arata!" Takumi called out to him again as he sent his Digimon to help him.

"Misconnecting!" The tips of Chrysalimon's tentacles glowed as he fired energy from them.

The Eater reeled back for its Erode Device attack before launching its tentacle towards Arata. Takumi tackled into the older boy as Garurumon (Black) rammed into the Eater.

Arata quickly shoved Takumi off of him before glaring at the Eater. "Chrysalimon! Destroy it!"

"Arata, calm down!" Takumi told him before relaying more orders to his team. The red-haired boy grit his teeth as Arata recklessly started for the Eater again. "Arata!" The younger boy quickly wrapped his arms around the older teen's legs, causing him to trip. "Calm down!"

The raven-haired boy blinked at the Cyber Sleuth in surprise. "Takumi!" he tried pushing himself off the ground, but Takumi refused to let go. "What the hell!? That _thing_ ate Nishino-san! You think I can just let it go!?"

"Losing your cool won't change anything!" Takumi sternly stated. "You'll only get eaten if you get any closer! Nishino-san wouldn't have wanted that!"

Arata tensed up that as he knew Takumi was right. He looked away from the younger boy and let out a frustrated yell. "Damn it!"

The Cyber Sleuth finally let the older boy go before turning his attention back to his Digimon. "Garurumon (Black)! Freeze Fang!" Takumi called out to the wolf to quickly finish off the Eater.

As soon as the Eater disappeared, Arata hurried over to Nishino's limp body. "Now everything'll go back to normal!"

Takumi remained silent as he stared at Nishino. "Not everything…" he muttered as around them the street reverted to normal. He frowned to himself as he knew they failed in protecting Nishino from the Eater and EDEN Syndrome.

* * *

Date frowned at Takumi after he finished giving her his report on the case. "Tch, you really solved it," she crossed her arms. "How the hell did you do it? Especially seeing as it was such a bizarre case!" Takumi glumly frowned at the ground and shook his head. Seeing as he didn't seem to feel like answering, Date decided to leave it at that. "We followed up on your report and found all the people who were missing. They're safe, but none of them have any memory of what happened," she told him. She scratched the back of her head in confusion. "And the perpetrator has fallen unconscious. Seems she's a victim of EDEN Syndrome."

"Yeah…" Takumi sadly sighed.

"So now I don't have anyone to question!" the woman shook her head. "What's with all these bizarre cases lately!? And then you…!" Date cracked her knuckles. "You really don't know anything? Huh!?"

"If you want to know, you can ask Detective Matayoshi," the boy told her.

"Tch!" Date frowned at that. "Whenever I learn any good intel, somehow it always gets back to Matayoshi-san. I'll let things slide this time!"

"Thanks…" Takumi managed to crack a smile at that.

"All right, get going!" Date waved her hand to shoo him away. "Get out of here before Matayoshi-san shows up!" The boy shrugged as he started to leave. "Oh, and thanks for your help!"

Takumi crossed the street and noticed Arata had been watching him the entire time. "So!? What happened!?" the raven-haired teen asked him. "Marippe… Nishino-san… What's going to happen to them!?"

"Marippe-san and the other victims don't really recall the incident, but as for Nishino-san," Takumi knit his eyebrows together. "She contracted EDEN Syndrome."

"EDEN Syndrome?" Arata stared at him in disbelief. "Nishino-san!?"

"Yeah," Takumi nodded.

"When the Eater attacked Nishino, she must have contracted EDEN Syndrome," Arata guessed as he crossed his arms. "Eaters consume data… If, say, humans could exist in a semi-digital form within the Digital Shift… Nishino-san could have been partially consumed. Maybe it just ate her consciousness in data form."

"Hm!?" The redhead considered something. _That would mean that it doesn't matter where you get eaten, real or digital, if an Eater gets you, you'll contract EDEN Syndrome… In that case… this is getting to be serious…_

"Your avatar…" Arata continued to theorize, "Your mental data is devoured by an Eater in EDEN, but your physical body remains in the real world. That's what EDEN Syndrome is!" he finally realized. "But what can we then do to cure it?" Arata asked aloud. "If we defeat an Eater, does the data it gobbled up come back out? No," he shook his head, "we defeated that Eater, but Nishino-san is still unconscious."

"It's probably more complicated than that," the Cyber Sleuth stated. _After all, I've had EDEN Syndrome for a few months now, but nothing seems to have really changed… There's also the fact that I'm an irregular victim… Was it because I had been in the middle of logging out when I was eaten? Or is it because I had a strange program embedded into me prior to the Eater attack? Or maybe it's something else entirely?_

"It's no good!" the older boy cried. "We just don't know enough! We need to find Suedou and ask him!" Arata turned to leave. "For now, I'm going to go looking after the Eaters some more. See you around."

Takumi frowned as the other teen took off. The blue-eyed boy stared down at his half-cyber body. "There's no cure for EDEN Syndrome? Then that means that my body is going to…" He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before shaking his head. "Yeah, I'm gonna pretend I didn't hear that!" With a determined nod, he decided to return to the agency.

* * *

"Hmm… That's quite the adventure!" Kyoko mused after she went over her assistant's complete report. "A labyrinth, some disappearances, and a giant Digimon to boot. It's that giant Digimon that warrants the most attention, though," she stated. "Let's think back on that man who was being controlled by that one Digimon."

"You mean the Growmon?"

The detective nodded at the boy's excellent memory. "That Digimon had influence over him, but this girl seems to have had the influence over the Digimon," Kyoko stated. "Her deep-seated delusions, her desperate need for approval… The workings of her mind called a Digimon to her and she wound up in complete control over it. The bond between them then grew stronger when the labyrinth appeared, to a supernatural degree."

"Their bond?" Takumi's eyes widened at that. "But… if that's so, what does that mean about _my_ bond with my Digimon?"

Kyoko frowned at her assistant's unusual outburst. "She was no hacker, though. She was just an ordinary person, only weakly connected to Digimon."

"Ah… R-right…" the redhead frowned. "S-sorry, Kyoko-san…"

"Regardless," she continued, "this incident occurred as a result of the fact that the Digimon was enhanced. There are phenomenal powers hidden away within the realm of human consciousness." She stared at Takumi and watched him nod in agreement. "Anyway," she smiled at him, "congratulations on resolving the case. Thanks for all your hard work. You are not only blessed with good luck, but also continue to exhibit great skill."

"Do you really think so, Kyoko-san?" Takumi wryly smiled at her.

"I couldn't ask for anything more," she proudly nodded. Her smile grew as her assistant's easy-going personality returned.

"W-well…" the boy sheepishly scratched his cheek and grinned.

"I am concerned about Suedou Akemi's activities, however," Kyoko moved on. She watched as his mood immediately soured again. "Why was a man of his caliber alone inside the labyrinth despite all the dangers he would face? Maybe ordinary people like us can't fathom the behavior of geniuses? Rather, that is to say, their motives are beyond our understanding. Inferences become conjecture, leaving the actual facts behind, I suppose." She shook her head. "I might be thinking too hard about this, getting lost in my own labyrinth of thoughts and emotions."

"Kyoko-san…" Takumi tilted his head to the side in concern as he felt as though he was also doing the same thing. He glanced up at the agency's motto and let out a heavy sigh. _Endurance…_ he reminded himself. _We have to be patient with this…_

* * *

 **Final Notes:** Yeah, given the way I play, Takumi won't be getting Perfect level Digimon until a couple more chapters. And the way typing works, I really did give Takumi a preference in using Garurumon (Black) and Rapidmon over his other members... Poor Togemon... Even when I play, I struggle to have Data types in my team for some reason... Fighting Vaccines is a nightmare without them, but oh well. Not a lot of the bosses are Vaccine anyway. It's just a pain when I need to use Code Scan and I have no Data Digimon to help me with that hacking skill though... And then I never use Free Digimon, but that's not really a problem considering I don't use the force encounter skill...


	10. Cyber Sleuth's Friends

**Author's Notes:** Another set of side quests. Nothing else I need to say for now.

* * *

~NAKANO~UNDERGROUND~

Takumi sighed in relief when the data transfer was finally complete. He tensed up though as the door to the command room opened, but quickly activated his Stealth Hide. A doctor walked in with a clipboard and sat at the computer Takumi had been accessing. The woman blinked when she didn't remember activating the terminal. "Huh…?" She checked to see if there was a bug in the system but found nothing. Dismissing it as a colleague using it before her, she returned to her work.

The redhead held his breath as he quietly slipped out of the room. He would have to use the other terminal in the Special Ward to get out, but that shouldn't be a problem. He kept his footsteps light as he continued down the narrow hall, but paused when a door at his side suddenly opened. He brought a hand to his mouth to stop from crying out in surprise as Yuuko entered the hall.

A nurse kindly bowed to the teen. "We'll do our best until your next visit, Kamishiro-sama."

"Yes, thank you very much," Yuuko nodded, sadly staring past the nurse's shoulder. The woman returned to her work but the raven-haired girl remained still for a moment to gather her thoughts. After a while, she frowned to herself as she unknowingly passed Takumi. She soon paused though when she noticed something strange. Curiously, she turned her head towards Takumi and stared through his invisible body.

The redhead nervously stared back before realizing she was staring at what was probably behind him. He carefully stepped to the side and turned around before he noticed Yuuko was staring at his actual body. Takumi frowned to himself since his body's condition still hasn't changed. He let out a heavy sigh and tensed up as Yuuko seemed to have heard him.

"Eh?" the girl looked around the room. "Is someone there?" Yuuko waited a few minutes before shaking her head. She looked towards Takumi's body once more before leaving the Special Ward.

Takumi let out the breath he had been holding before jumping as his Digivice began to beep. He quickly answered it. "Y-yes!?"

"A new job has come in," Kyoko urgently told him. "Please come back to the office." She paused when she noticed she was staring at a blank screen. "Where are you right now? Did you finish collecting the new files on EDEN Syndrome?"

"I-I did," Takumi nodded as he deactivated his Stealth Hide so Kyoko could get a lock on his position. "I'm still in the Special Ward though."

"I see… Then quickly make your escape and return to the office," the detective directed him.

"Understood," Takumi nodded.

* * *

 _Client: Government_

 _Place: Nakano Underpass_

 _Details: This is a case from the government. The door in the Nakano Underpass has been unlocked. What waits on the other side?_

"Eh!?" Takumi blinked at it. "Are you serious, Kyoko-san? The government!?"

"I'll explain the details," the detective nodded to him. "The client this time is the local government that takes care of the utilities for Nakano… Basically, it's a bureaucratic agency."

"Ah… that makes more sense," Takumi nodded. He blinked a few times before jumping at a thought. "W-wait, but why did they come to us!?"

"Why are you so shocked?" Kyoko chuckled at him. "Of course, we specialize in the supernatural and complex cyber crimes, so we usually have a very specific clientele. But we cooperated very well with Detective Matayoshi's police force, so they consider us to be a pretty good detective agency. So we've received a case from a public agency… It's quite a rare event," she remarked.

"Even so, shouldn't the police handle it?"

"The case was originally discussed by Detective Matayoshi with the government agency," she nodded. "It's a bit special though so Detective Matayoshi passed us down to the government like a sort of ace up his sleeve and now it's our case. Got it?"

"For the most part, yeah," Takumi nodded.

"Good," the woman smirked at the boy. "The case is to unlock a gate in Nakano Underpass. It seems the gate is locked due to some electronic glitch and can't be opened."

"Ah… So it really is an important case for me," Takumi brought his hand up to his mouth. "Um… What's the Nakano Underpass?"

"Huh?" the detective stared at him in surprise. "What, you don't know about the Nakano Underpass? It's a facility that houses the equipment used to provide Nakano's public utilities, such as power cables, water pipes, and so on… They are moving forward with a plan to improve the look of the city center above ground by housing the public utilities underground. It looks like the visible power cables and telephone poles are set to disappear in the not-too-distant future. Underneath Nakano there is a vast complex of tunnels, so there are of course many entrances. One of these entrances is the place where the gate we need to unlock is."

"Alright, I get it," the boy nodded. "Is there anything special about the lock?"

"It's a password-protected electronic lock," Kyoko answered, "but it seems some time ago it locked for no reason and no one has been able to open it since. They contacted the manufacturer, but they gave up. If needs be they will destroy the gate, but obviously that would incur serious costs. While the costs were discussed, a weird groaning sound was heard coming from the other side of the gate. It seems something strange is going on."

"Weird groaning?" Takumi knit his eyebrows together.

The detective smiled and crossed her arms. "The manufacturer had a bad feeling about it and didn't want to open the gate, but the government suspected criminal activity and called Matayoshi."

"I see," the boy nodded. "So then the buck passed to the Kuremi Detective Agency."

"Well after all, we have the best people for the job if you want to access a place that is off bounds to most," Kyoko smugly stated. "This is actually a good opportunity. I've been wanting to investigate the rumors surrounding Nakano's underground system for a while," she chuckled. "The gate in question has an electronic lock, so naturally there's a cyberspace inside it. You're the only one who can break into the gate without destroying it. We've already received permission from the government to access the underpass."

"Open the gate without damaging it," Takumi nodded. "Understood."

"All right then," Kyoko chuckled at him. "Shall we go and find out what the real situation with this underground gate is? Where is that groaning voice coming from? What kind of strange world lies beyond the gate? This is gonna be so much fun!"

"Wouldn't it just be a plain old tunnel?" the redhead crookedly smiled.

"Huh? It's an underground gateway, so there will just be an underground tunnel behind it, right?" Kyoko blinked at her assistant. She chuckled at the boy's lack of an imagination. "Have you ever heard of the Stochastic process in quantum mechanics? I guess I should tell you about Schrodinger's cat."

"No need," Takumi shook his head. "I know about that experiment. A cat is placed in a box where it is then gassed with poison as well as irradiated. In such a state, the cat is theoretically both alive _and_ dead, but the observer can only witness only one of the two overlapping possibilities."

"Well then," the woman gave him a satisfied nod, "Until we open up the gate, we cannot know if we will find an underground tunnel or the void of space. Until you open that gate, the world is in a flux of overlapping possibilities… so just try to enjoy it." She looked over to her monitor. "Let's go. The case is a simple matter of unlocking the gate, but… What's behind the gate? Your job is to find that out."

"I still think it's going to be a simple tunnel, but alright then," the teen shrugged his shoulders. "I'm off!"

"Have a safe trip," the detective called back as he left.

* * *

"Did you arrive at the underpass?" Kyoko asked as she answered her assistant's call. "The gate we need to unlock is inside."

"Yeah, I'm here," Takumi nodded.

Tracking his position, the detective directed him to the lock. "The control panel should be beside you. Do you see it? Connect Jump into it and unlock the gate."

Takumi looked around the concrete room and soon spotted it. "I see it," he told her. He quickly held up his gloved right hand towards the box and tried to Connect Jump. After a few seconds, nothing happened. "Huh…?"

"What happened?" Kyoko asked him.

"I can't access it," the boy shook his head.

"What?" the woman frowned. "Your Connect Jump isn't working? That's strange… It's an electronic lock, so there should be some kind of network inside it…"

"There is," he confirmed. "I can see a distortion, but the only problem is that I can't access it."

"Perhaps it's just that you didn't activate the Connect Jump properly?"

"I just did what I usually do for a Connect Jump," Takumi frowned. "I stick up my arm and let the network pull me in. I don't think about," he shook his head. "It just happens."

Kyoko smirked at him. "Right, I think it's time I verified your ability to perform a Connect Jump."

"Eh!?" Takumi blinked at her new experiment.

"Raise your hand…" she directed him and he obeyed. "Now, concentrate…"

Takumi closed his eyes and focused on accessing the lock. When nothing happened, he opened his eyes. "Now what?"

"That's it," Kyoko simply stated.

"H-huh…?" Takumi frowned. "That's it?" Kyoko didn't reply back and Takumi stood in the silence for about half an hour before he shook his head. "Kyoko-san… How long do you want me to do this?" The detective still didn't reply and soon another slow hour came to pass. "You know… I'm getting tired of just standing here…" he complained. He closed his eyes and sighed as what felt like a few more hours ticked by. "A hundred years later…" he tiredly muttered.

"What were you doing just now?" Kyoko asked as he was beginning to nod off. "Whatever you're doing, it seems like it's not working."

"I'm just doing what you told me to," Takumi shook his head. "It's not my fault nothing's—" he blinked as the network suddenly opened up and sucked him in. When he landed in the digital space, he blinked in confusion. "H-huh!?"

"Oh no! It looks like I can't verify it!" Kyoko frowned in disappointment. She shook her head and smirked at her assistant. "Well, it seems that you can only Connect Jump if you feel disappointed."

"That sounds inaccurate somehow," the boy crookedly grinned at her.

"If I were to posit a theory as to how your Connect Jump works…" she began, "Your ability locates a Digital Wave, piggybacks on it to the target location's Digital Space and then enters it. It can be a network, a PC server… It doesn't matter what the target location is. If it has a Digital Space then you should be able to access it. However, there seem to be certain limitations when interfering with the Digital Wave. In other words, when you can, you can and when you can't, you can't."

"That seems a bit arbitrary," Takumi crossed his arms and frowned.

Kyoko shook her head at him. "What we've determined is that you connected before by chance, even if there are specific reasons why you were able to each time. Put simply, cause and effect are connected to the Digital Waves."

"Hold on! How does that explain what happened just now?" the redhead asked her.

"Wait a second?" she blinked at him. "How could you Connect Jump this time, then? I don't have any proof to support my answer, but… Perhaps there were others like you who tried and failed to open the lock and were disappointed?" She shook her head and chuckled. "Yes, 'disappointment' is definitely key…"

"Maybe for this instance, but not for my other Connect Jumps," Takumi crookedly smiled.

"I've rambled on long enough…" Kyoko smirked at him. "Please get this lock opened as quickly as you can."

"Alright, I'm on it," Takumi nodded before heading further into the network.

* * *

Takumi sighed in relief as he finished loading the data onto the stand. "The door should be unlocked now! Let's head back and check!" He quickly exited the network and accessed the elevator to take him down to the tunnel. His blue eyes widened as he stepped out into the tunnel. "Eh…!? What's this?" His Digivice began to ring and he quickly answered it.

"It seems you've managed to unlock the gate, so thanks for that," Kyoko smiled at him. "It must have been easy for you, given your skill."

"Yeah, that part wasn't difficult, but I'm in the tunnel right now," Takumi told her. "It looks like the tunnel became a labyrinth of sorts. The air is a bit thick with Digital Waves…"

"What?" the detective blinked at him in surprise. "There's a bit of a labyrinth in the underground tunnel? What do you mean by 'a bit'?" she seriously asked him. "Is there any sign of a Digimon or an Eater in there?"

Takumi closed his eyes and felt his way through the Digital Waves before shaking his head. "No. I only sense random wild Digimon."

"I see…" Kyoko mused. "It's strange to see just a small section of the labyrinth…" She chuckled as he brought her hand to her mouth. "I know I said we couldn't know what we would find, but I wasn't expecting that… I believe we have witnessed a special Digital Wave occurrence. It's as if it's some kind of current…" She closed her eyes for a moment to consider something. "I see. This is definitely a 'ley line'."

"Ley line…?" Takumi tilted his head to the side.

"Have you ever heard of 'ley lines' before? There are many in Tokyo," the woman explained. "They are also called 'dragon chains'. 'Dragon' signifies the undulating landscape, the hills and mountains. The 'dragon chain' is what we call the flow of the land's 'spirit'."

Takumi crossed his arms as he remembered having this conversation once before. "Ah… Kenji-san from the Occult Club had told me the something similar about how Shibuya was the valley of Tokyo, collecting information and energy due to the surrounding hills. Is it a bit like that?"

Kyoko nodded as she continued her explanation. "It's well known that Tenkai Sousei, advisor to Tokugawa Ieyasu, turned Edo into a great feng shui city. It is said that he built a waterway and path to lead the chi from Mount Fuji and Tokyo Bay to Edo Castle. Of particular note in this instance are Kan'ei-ji and Asakusa Shrine to the northeast and Zojo-ji and Hie Shrine to the southwest, all big religious institutions."

"Why only those directions though, Kyoko-san?" the boy curiously asked.

"In feng shui, those directions are thought to draw negative energy their way. The shrines hold big festivals to purge and expel that energy," she informed him. "And if you look at the lines that connect the Buddhist temples Ken'ei-ji and Zojo-ji, and Shinto shrines Asakusa and Hie… You'll find they cross right inside the old Edo Castle, home to today's Tokyo Imperial Palace. It's really quite fascinating to see," she chuckled. "Nowadays the waterways have been swapped out for rail lines and radio towers dot the northeast and southwest. You could say we've finished what Tenkai started. Viewed from the eyes of current society, those rail lines and radio towers are artificial ley lines that supplement the old roads and waterways."

"I see…" Takumi nodded as he brought a hand up to his mouth. "So the Digital Waves work in harmony with the land's natural flow of energy…"

"Naturally, where you're standing underground constitutes another ley line running through Tokyo, too. Not just any ley line, either," she added as she crossed her arms. "The one that's believed to emanate from Mount Fuji is supposed to run right through there. The manmade tunnel layered on top of it allows the Digital Waves to keep flowing in perpetuity. It's really a peculiar thing going on down there."

"Ah… so the Digital Waves get trapped here and eventually build up…"

Kyoko nodded at her assistant's deduction. "That's what's producing this quasi-labyrinth you're seeing before you. Knowing that, those weird voices that people are supposedly hearing probably belong to the Digimon that are appearing as a result."

"Yeah…" Takumi nodded as he looked around the labyrinth.

"I could go on for a while yet about this subject, but you at least somewhat get what I'm saying, right?" Kyoko asked him.

"Of course!" the boy cheerily smiled and nodded.

Kyoko laughed at his capacity to absorb information. "I'll take that to mean you understood it well enough, then. At this point, your work is essentially done, but…" she smirked, "we can't exactly just ignore this newfound discovery of yours, either. Why don't you go a little further in and check things out for me?"

"Even if you didn't ask, I would have gone in anyway," Takumi nodded. "I'll let you know if I find anything."

* * *

After about two hours, Takumi frowned as the tunnel seemed to be endless. "Kyoko-san?" he called the detective. "I don't think I'm anywhere near the end of the road. I don't even know where I am anymore…"

"The tunnel just keeps on going, you say?" Kyoko raised an eyebrow at him. She checked her monitor and tracked the path he had taken. "If it stays on course like that, you're going to end up in Roppongi, which would mean… Hmm…" she paused to bring her hand up to her mouth. "You know, this reminds me of something else I've heard about before," she told him with a smile.

"What is it?" the boy asked as he continued forward.

"As I mentioned before, Tokyo's ley lines stem from Mount Fuji, which is of course not all that a coincidence given that it's a sacred place," she began. "And that energy takes old highways like the Koshu Kaido and the Tokaido to get to Tokyo from Mount Fuji. That energy joins up with underground waterways going along the highways that carry Mount Fuji's snowmelt to Tokyo, flowing into the city together. One theory holds that the first place where that water appears above ground after reaching Tokyo happens to be where else but Nakano. Put simply, all the ley lines that flow throughout Tokyo could well be coming out of our own stomping grounds, believe it or not. Wouldn't that be amazing to think about if it turned out to be true?" she chuckled.

"That would be cool," Takumi nodded. He stopped walking when he noticed a spacious area opening up at the end of the path. "Ah! Kyoko-san! I think I've made it to the end!"

"Stop right there!" she urgently told him. "Don't go any farther."

Takumi had been about to take a step into the room, but he quickly retreated back a few steps. "Huh? What's wrong?"

"You're standing at the border of the municipality. Go any farther and you'll be in central government territory," she explained. "That's a hive we'd best not poke."

"The central government!?" Takumi asked in disbelief as he stared at the room before him. He frowned as he noticed some strange equipment inside.

"Color me intrigued, though," Kyoko stated. "That's a hell of a thing to stumble into just walking around inside that tunnel. We aren't prepared just yet to pick that sort of fight. There's still too much we don't know. This little tangent of ours has gone on long enough, I think," she said with a satisfied smile. "Head back the way you came and regroup at the office."

"Understood," Takumi nodded. He wryly chuckled to himself as he looked back at the road he came from.

* * *

"Though it's not as strong as we're used to," Kyoko nodded at Takumi's detailed report of the new labyrinth, "that tunnel is causing a Digital Shift. We should probably keep it locked up like before after all." She brought her hand up to her mouth and hid her slight frown. "I have no idea how I'm going to explain all of this to our client… No matter how you spin it, it'll probably all be a lot to take in. I wouldn't be surprised if we come away looking even sketchier than we already do."

"Is there no way to avoid it, Kyoko-san?" Takumi asked.

"Eh, let's just let Detective Matayoshi deal with it," Kyoko shrugged. "Some jobs are just best left to others."

"Ah… but about that area past the tunnel…"

"Hmm? You're curious what exactly was actually beyond where you stopped?" Kyoko smiled at him. "That makes two of us, believe me. Actually, while you were on your way back, I decided to look into it a little bit. Apparently what you found was a Kamishiro research lab, of all things," she crossed her arms.

"Eh!? But you said it belonged to the central government!" Takumi exclaimed. "If it was actually a Kamishiro research lab, I could have—"

"Oh, don't be dense," she shook her head at him. "I told you, that area is under the jurisdiction of the central government. That's not the sort of place you wander into for fun."

"Ah… so you're saying," the redhead frowned, "this particular Kamishiro facility is being protected by the central government."

"If nothing else," Kyoko nodded, "it indicates that Kamishiro and the government have a tighter relationship than what we previously suspected. Going after Kamishiro could well mean that we'd also be ruffling the government's feathers."

"But that's…!" Takumi brought his hand up to his face and knit his eyebrows together. "Ugh…"

"That's why we can't be hasty right now," the detective smiled at him. "We'll do what we can to prepare and cross that bridge when we come to it. This is just a guess on my end, but I imagine it was Kamishiro that changed the password on that door and rendered it impossible to get open. They probably weren't counting on us being able to actually break in and snoop around," she hid her smirk behind her hand. "Knowing that, it could well serve as our ace in hole later when the time does come to confront them, hopefully unawares. But again," she nodded to her assistant, "let's not worry about hashing out the details until we have to and just be grateful we have that up our sleeve if need be."

"Right," Takumi nodded.

"On that note, I realize this case is technically closed, but what do you say about heading over to Roppongi for me one more time?" Kyoko asked him.

"Why?" the boy asked her. "Is there something I should investigate there?"

"I don't mean on official business," she shook her head. "Rather, I'm keen on doing a little independent intelligence gathering for our own internal use. Surely you're interested in knowing why Kamishiro has built a research lab underneath the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, too, right?"

"Of course," he seriously nodded.

"So how about you just walk on through the front door there and see what you can find?" she suggested to him. "Sound good?"

Takumi chuckled a bit. "Will it really be that easy?" he asked with a crooked smile on his face. "Well, I suppose it doesn't hurt to check."

* * *

Takumi stared at the skyscraper with wide blue eyes. "Whoa…"

An earnest civil servant spotted the curious redhead and smiled at the student. "Oh, are you here for a tour of the lobby?" he asked.

"Eh? Can I really?" the Cyber Sleuth asked in mild surprise.

The man nodded to him. "Please, come on in inside."

"So I can really tour the entire building?" Takumi asked with a tilt of his head.

"You must be confused," the man smiled. "Let me explain. Construction on this new Metropolitan Building isn't entirely complete as of yet. Well, it was at one point, that is, until a major firm came in and it was decided the upper floors merited additional construction. As such, while that's going on, the lobby here remains free and open to the public to visit."

"Ah, I see," the boy gratefully nodded. "Thank you for your explanation." The man bowed his head before walking away and Takumi quickly called the agency.

"Did you make it inside the building?" Kyoko asked him.

"Not yet, but it looks like the lobby is open for tours," Takumi told her.

"All right, I get you," she nodded. "So they're all right with you hanging around the lobby. Well, that makes our work a little easier, then. Go on in. All you need at this point is a terminal somewhere so you can infiltrate their systems. Piece of cake at this stage, I'd say," she said with a smirk.

"Alright, I understand," Takumi nodded.

"So once you find a terminal, just slip on in and work your magic like always," Kyoko chuckled. "I wish I was there to see it myself," she crossed her arms and smiled enviously at the young boy. "It seems like quite the sight… It reminds me of the Tower of Babel in a way."

"I guess that's one way to look at it," the boy stated as he lifted his gaze upwards to stare at the building again.

Kyoko chuckled and shook her head. "I guess I'm starting to ramble again, though. Don't worry about me. Feel free to get back to work now."

* * *

Takumi blinked as he noticed a distortion at one of the terminals. Closing his eyes, he could feel a slight disturbance within the Digital Waves around him. That sensation was apparently concentrated into this one terminal so he quickly approached it. When he was close enough, he paused. "There's a small Digital Shift happening here…" he muttered to himself before quickly contacting Kyoko again.

"Is something wrong out there?" she blinked at him.

"The Digital Waves here are threatening to shift," he told her.

"Oh? You found a terminal that's Digital Shifting a little?" She brought her hand up to her mouth. "Huh. If this Shift is weak while still prominent enough for you to notice it, it could be a sign this place will turn into a labyrinth later on."

"Ah…! That's right!" Takumi suddenly realized.

"Well, for now, try Connect Jumping into it," she directed it. "We have no idea what could be inside there, so stay on your feet, all right?"

"Understood!" The teen nodded as he held up his right hand towards the terminal.

* * *

Takumi directed his Digimon to return to him as they finished off the Eater they encountered. "Let's go, everyone! Xros Combo!"

"Rapid Fire!" Rapidmon rose into to the air and pointed his cannons at the Eater before shooting out blasts of energy.

"Flower Cannon!" Lilimon pointed a blooming flower at the Eater before firing.

"Spiral Sword!" Andromon held up his right hand as it rapidly rotated before throwing out a blade of energy at their opponent.

After patting his team for a job well done, the Cyber Sleuth quickly called his boss. "Kyoko-san," Takumi began, "I just defeated an Eater."

"Hmm… So you found an Eater inside there after all," she seriously mused. "But you couldn't find any other evidence of note?"

"Not at all," the redhead shook his head as he looked around. "If there had been anything else, Kamishiro probably would have gotten rid of it by now."

Kyoko chuckled at his short-sightedness. "You're not seeing the forest for the trees here, Takumi! The fact that there was an Eater inside the terminal at all is big evidence in and of itself!"

"I… guess…" Takumi wryly smiled.

"Regardless," she nodded to him, "let's call it a day here. Get on back to the office now."

* * *

"I'm home," Takumi exhaustively sighed as he returned. "That sure was a lot of walking…"

"That was probably hard work going all over the place today," Kyoko smiled at him. "But thanks to you, I think I'm starting to piece it all together now. While you were out and about, I decided to measure the Digital Waves coming out of that building. And I found out that the Metropolitan Government Building itself is one big Digital Wave force field."

"Eh…!?" Takumi flopped onto the ground as he missed the sofa. "W-wait… How is that even possible!?"

"From what I can tell, energy is flowing straight into the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building via the ley line inside Nakano Underpass," Kyoko explained. "So that underground lab Kamishiro has beneath the building is probably controlling the energy flow. You remember what I said about ley lines when you were inside that tunnel, don't you?"

"Of course!" the redhead seriously nodded.

"There are two things at play here, like you said: the natural energy flow from the earth along the ley lines and Digital Waves emanating from a sea of electrons. If you can make a massive structure like the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building a hub for those things, then you can manipulate their flow," Kyoko theorized. "Why do they need to do it that way? Well, for one, Digital Waves might be invisible to the naked eye, but they have mass and therefore require a vessel. And the bigger the vessel is that contains those waves," she brought her hand up to her mouth, "the more energy you can build up. It probably also explains the new construction going on, as more space would mean that much more energy Kamishiro could stockpile. That extra energy would then go on to impact the building beyond the facility, hence the Digital Shift you ran into in the lobby. And with any good Digital Shift comes an Eater, of course… Honestly, it wouldn't surprise me if that place goes labyrinthine eventually."

"Eh!?" Takumi stared at her in surprise. "If that's the case—"

"But we don't have to be concerned about that threat anymore now that you've cleaned the joint up," Kyoko reassured him. "On the other hand," she seriously frowned to herself, "it's worrying in its own way that things resolved so cleanly this time. The fact that Digital Waves can be concentrated in such small quantities as to attract individual Eaters and produce a micro-labyrinth is scary. If you hadn't been there, it might well not have been caught until much later. The whole thing doesn't sit well with me at all."

"I'm also worried about why Kamishiro would want to concentrate that much energy," Takumi crossed his arms. "There has to be some purpose for the lab and Metropolitan Government Building besides a storage unit…"

"This case has taught us that there's technology that can mostly suppress large amounts of Digital Waves as they're built up and placed wherever," Kyoko nodded as she crossed her arms. "The deliberate and calculated nature of it all indicates that somebody's got big plans in the works, suffice it to say. This, of course, calls for more investigating. We need to figure out how long this has all been going on and just what exactly it's for."

"Yeah…" Takumi gravely nodded.

"Let's keep our eyes peeled as we move forward, Takumi," Kyoko smirked at her assistant. "We're onto something here. I know it."

The redhead brought up his hand and made a fist. "So long as we take this one step at a time, we've got this for sure, Kyoko-san."

The detective chuckled at his optimism. "Your drive is really admirable. Keep it up! One way or another, we'll definitely deal with Kamishiro when the time is right."

* * *

~RYOTA'S~YOUTH~

Takumi skimmed his DigiLine messages and frowned when he noticed one of his friends was spamming him nonsensical gibberish. "Eh? What is this? 'FOREVER I swear by your sincere gaze. My only love, MY HEART crazed with pain!' Eh… Sakura… Just what are you trying to say?" He quickly messaged the girl back and blinked as she immediately replied. "Eh…? Jimiken's song?"

"Oh?" Kyoko curiously looked up from her screen. "The same Jimiken who started a schism in Zaxon? As a hacker and public celebrity, it seems as though he carries an air about him that attracts youth towards him." She chuckled as she noticed Takumi frowning. "You don't think so?"

"I admit that he does know how to draw a crowd, but that's more in line with people gathering to see a performance than having actual charisma," Takumi stated.

"Hmm… If we're talking about charisma, then it is true that Yuugo of Team Zaxon surely is charismatic," the detective smirked. "He carries an air of mystery and authority to him that makes it difficult to defy him. But back to the matter at hand," Kyoko crossed her arms, "your friend is fan of Jimiken?"

"It looks like it," Takumi nodded. "Ah… she sent another message," he blinked at his DigiLine. "I think it's another line from one of his songs… She's been doing that more often lately. Not only does she keep posting his songs on my DigiLine though, her fanaticism has gotten to the point where she asks me every day if there's a Jimiken merchandise sale upstairs at the CD shop."

"That explains the number of visitors to Broadway recently," Kyoko mused with a small smirk on her face. "Come to think of it, there's a kid from your school in the K-Café," she remembered. "Do you know each other?"

"Can you describe them?"

"A boy your age with short brown hair," Kyoko told him. "Other than that, he wasn't very memorable. When I was picking up more beans earlier, he mentioned the name 'Sakura'," the woman shrugged. "A mutual friend of yours, perhaps?"

"Ah… it sounds like Ryota," Takumi frowned to himself. "I should probably see how he's doing. He must be worried about Sakura too."

* * *

Takumi noticed Ryota sitting at a table with his arms crossed. The brunet had an intense frown on his face so the redhead quickly approached his side to hear what the boy was muttering to himself. "Hmm… Lemme see…" Ryota closed his eyes and concentrated. "Hmm…mmm…mmm hmm…"

Takumi raised an eyebrow at his friend. "Ryota? What's wrong?"

"Nghh. Eugh, what!?" Ryota nearly fell out of his seat in surprise. "Takumi!? What are you doing here?"

"I told you before, didn't I?" Takumi asked. "About my job?"

"Oh, I see," the brunet smiled at his friend. "You're the Cyber Sleuth. The office is around here, I'm pretty sure." He lowered his gaze as he considered something. "Hmmmmm. Cyber Sleuth?"

"What about it?"

"So, cyber sleuths will take on any case at all, then?" Ryota hopefully asked him.

"A case is a case," Takumi nodded with a smile.

"I see…" the boy cheerfully smirked. "In that case, could I send a request to your office?" He didn't even wait for Takumi to respond before rising to his feet. "Okay, it's settled! I'm gonna send in a request to your office and watch you, the great Cyber Sleuth, work!" he declared.

* * *

 _Client: Takei Ryota_

 _Place: K-Café_

 _Details: Ugh… Work… Work… Work… I want an easy job with lots of money. There aren't many jobs like that…_

Takumi crookedly grinned at the note Kyoko handed to him as he met with his friend back at K-Café. "You really did put in a request…"

"Oh! You took my case!" Ryota stared at the redhead in surprise before flashing him a wide smile. "Thanks! Still, that woman you work with… Kyoko-san, is that her name? Yeah, she's kinda weird."

"How so?" Takumi tilted his head to the side.

"When I went in to the office to submit my request," Ryota frowned, "she said something weird. 'I'm getting a nasty vibe coming from you'. And she even said 'It's like the detestable aura of a male pursuing a female!' I mean, what the hell is that about?"

"Eh…?" Takumi closed his eyes and placed his hands on his hips. "If Kyoko-san thinks so, then it has to be true…"

Ryota sighed at his friend. "You try and send in a serious request and this is what you get… But, Kyoko-san is really pretty and she seems like a nice person! When I was in the office she asked me if I wanted some fresh coffee, but I said I didn't have the time."

"That… was for the best," Takumi frowned into his hand.

"Oh yeah! The case! I forgot!" Ryota chuckled to himself. "To be honest, I need money at the moment. I'd like to try to find a part-time job so I can pick up a little extra spending money."

"You have enough to cover the case though, right?" Takumi asked.

"Huh? Ah, right," Ryota frowned. "I need to pay a fee if I'm sending an official request to a detective agency… So, could you please try to find a nice, cushy job that will make up for the fee as soon as you can? And anyway, if it's a job in EDEN, you and that woman would know a lot about it, right?"

"You want a job in EDEN?"

"Yeah, that's right," the brunet nodded. "What I'm looking for is a part time job in EDEN. Those are usually the easiest ones. Please find me three options to choose from for a part time in EDEN. I don't mind if they're a little shady! I really need the money! I'm begging you!"

Takumi closed his eyes to think about it. After a while, he opened his eyes and nodded. "Yeah, I'll take your case. I'll discuss it with Kyoko-san once I get back to the office."

* * *

Kyoko raised an eyebrow at her red-haired assistant. "Hmm… He wants us to look for a part time job for him in EDEN… That's a pretty easy request. All the same, I'd say it's a good case for you to handle as my assistant," she smiled at Takumi. "He'll accept a nice, well-paid part time job and it's okay if it's a little shady… Looking for a job like that here in Nakano shouldn't be too hard. I'm sure if we quietly ask some of 'those' kind of people here in Nakano we'll find something for him. I've heard of cushy, shady jobs quite close to here," she chuckled.

"This doesn't sound very… safe…" Takumi frowned, "but if it's what Ryota wants… It sounds like he really needs the cash."

"All the same, if he needs money urgently…" Kyoko brought her hand up to her mouth. "I wonder what he needs it for?"

Takumi took a moment to ponder it too. "Well, besides to cover the case fee, he probably wants to buy something important. Ryota's a pretty simple guy." He shrugged it off though. "Anyway, I'm heading out to look for a job for him. I'm off."

"Have a safe trip," she nodded to him as she returned to her own work.

* * *

"Excuse me, young man," a man wearing a suit called out to Takumi. "Are you interested in a job? You can work in EDEN and it's a nice, easy part-time job. If you like, I can give you a private introduction for the job…"

"What is it?" Takumi blinked at him.

The man smiled at the teen. "In the business it's called 'room laundering'… One way or another people die. You just have to live in one of these so-called 'rooms with a shady history' for three months. If you do, we can cover up what happened in the room. You might be able to see that which is normally unseen, become possessed by regretful things… If you aren't squeamish, it's quite an easy job. If you want I can give you an introduction, but… please don't talk to anyone else about this."

"E-eh…?" Takumi frowned as he backed away from the dodgy realtor. "I-I'll keep it in mind…" He quickly caught the elevator and frowned at the job. "Somehow I don't think Ryota will like that one…" he nervously chuckled to himself as he continued looking around. Soon he found himself on the third floor and he spotted a man wearing a Laundromat uniform. "Ah! Excuse me! Are you hiring part-time workers?"

"Whaaa!?" the man stared at Takumi in surprise. "You're looking for a part time job in EDEN!? Not just that, but a nice, easy, well-paid job too!?"

"That's right," the redhead nodded.

"In that case, I have good news!" the odd Laundromat-owner smiled at him. "I have the perfect job for you! For this job…" he looked around carefully before continuing, "You just need to wash some… eh… stuff picked in formaldehyde. It couldn't be easier!"

"What kind of stuff are we talking about?" Takumi curiously asked as this was also way too shady for his liking.

"Huh?" the man frowned at him. "What kind of stuff? What are you, stupid? Don't ask such questions… If you want to feel freaked out and disgusted, work in underground rooms in hospitals at night and be terrified all the time then, be my guest!"

"I… see…" the boy sighed.

"It's pretty grotesque, but it's a really easy job. Please think about it," the man seriously stated to him.

"Alright… I… will…" Takumi nodded before starting back down the hall. "Man… what is with these jobs? I'm lucky I landed a pretty good job myself, but what other jobs in EDEN are there?"

Takumi paused when a man carrying a camera laughed as he overheard the redhead talking to himself. "So, you want to earn a quick buck in EDEN now, do you?"

"Do you know of a job that can accomplish that?" Takumi asked.

The man crossed his arms and smirked at the boy. "All right then, I'll introduce you for the job. It's so easy anyone could do it. I want you to take pictures of ghosts in EDEN. All you need to do is get a photo of a ghost and I'll pay you big bucks for it… Not bad, eh? If you're interested, let me know…" he laughed before walking away.

Takumi crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow at the man but shook his head. "Okay, I've got the information. Let's go back to Ryota."

* * *

Ryota looked up when Takumi returned to the café. "Oh, you've found one already? Where!?"

"So far, I've found guys who are looking to hire someone for a room laundering scheme, washing things pickled in formaldehyde, and ghost photography around EDEN," Takumi told him.

Ryota frowned as he considered his options. "Hmm… 'Room laundering'… 'Stuff pickled in formaldehyde'… 'Taking pictures of ghosts'…" He shook his head at the last one. "That's all just urban legends, though. It doesn't have anything to do with EDEN."

"Well, yeah… but that's all I found," Takumi stated, bringing a hand up to his mouth.

"All the same," Ryota smiled, "this ghost picture thing sounds good. Seems like a nice, easy job… Seems like getting paid for just one photo is easy money."

"Why do you even need a job?" his friend curiously asked.

"Huh? Why do I want to earn money from a part-time job in the first place?" Ryota looked away from the redhead. "I… It doesn't matter why. It's none of your business!" Both boys paused as the door to the café opened.

Takumi blinked when he recognized who it was. "Sakura! It's been a while!"

"Oh, hi, Takumi!" Sakura smiled at the redhead before blinking at Ryota. "None of your business…? What isn't?"

"Ah, Sakura!?" the brunet tensed up.

Sakura frowned at him and placed her hands at her hips. "Hm? 'Ah'? What do you mean, 'Ah'?"

Ryota shook his head and glared at her. "Nothing, it's nothing!"

"Ryota, are you, by any chance… talking about doing anything strange?" the girl worriedly asked him.

"Huh!? Uh… I… eh…nn…" the boy frowned. "The only strange thing lately has been you!" he yelled at her. "You're always talking so carelessly!"

"Hey, Ryota," Takumi shook his head at the brunet. "Calm down. What's gotten into you?"

Ryota shook his head and turned towards the exit. "Oh, there's no point in talking to you! Come on, Takumi! Let's go! Take me to the client!"

"Ah… A-alright, sure," the redhead frowned at him. Ryota quickly took off and the blue-eyed boy flashed Sakura an apologetic smile. "Sorry, Sakura. I'll see you later, okay?"

Sakura watched the two of them leave before frowning to herself. "Ryota… Takumi…" She placed her hands on her hips as she wondered what was going on.

* * *

"I knew you'd come…" the occult magazine editor laughed maniacally.

"Really?" Takumi brought his hand to his mouth. "Can I ask how?"

"Huh? How did I know? I tapped into my spiritual powers…" he laughed. "I want you to look into a ghost—'The Pale Boy'—who has been appearing and disappearing around Cron recently. This time I'd like you guys to take a photo of this 'Pale Boy'. If you take a good picture I will pay you big money for it! Not bad, eh?" the man cackled.

"Just how is that supposed to work exactly?" Takumi skeptically asked.

"Huh? You think it's strange that you can take a photo of a ghost in this Digital Space with a digital camera?" the man frowned as he chuckled at the simple-minded detective. "Well, I suppose if you think about it, the very appearance of a ghost in a Digital Space is in and of itself strange."

Takumi frowned. "But it's not—"

"Accept it!" the man cried out. "It's reality! Stop pretending you haven't seen them! Firstly, did you know that more than 70% of the people in this world have seen ghosts and…"

Takumi and Ryota frowned to each other as they lost interest in the loon. "Hey, Takumi… Is it just me or he plain nuts?"

"It all started with the incident at Roswell," the man continued to ramble. "The government and the aliens are all connected. They're just covering it up…"

"No, I see it too," Takumi sighed as he closed his eyes and rested his hands on his hips.

"Cattle mutilation, flying humanoids and even animals falling from the sky, they're all part of the same conspiracy…"

Both boys sighed. "Are you done yet?" they asked the man simultaneously.

"Anyway!" the editor finally breathed. "There is no analog nor digital in the occult! Please get this rumored specter on camera!" he directed them before walking away.

Ryota frowned at his friend and shook his head. "Well, what would you expect from the editor of an occult magazine? He obviously lacks any kind of common sense…" The brunet frowned and lowered his gaze. "The Pale Boy… The specter of Cron… To tell you the truth, I'm a bit scared to go now. It sounds pretty terrifying…"

"Yeah," Takumi nodded, "but not for the reason you think…"

"Well, I suppose you might as well come along," Ryota smirked at him. "Okay, let's go to Cron and take some ghost pictures!"

"H-huh!?" the redhead blinked at him. "Me too!?" He paused as he remembered something. "Oh, that's right… You're not a hacker, are you, Ryota?" Takumi chuckled as he nodded to his friend. "Alright, I'll come along. Just leave Cron to me!"

* * *

"I'm telling you the Pale Boy isn't a good sign," Takumi shook his head. "He's kind of like a dangerous omen…"

"In the end though, it will actually be a good thing if this 'Pale Boy' appears," Ryota stated. "We need a picture after all. Anyway," he said as he looked around Cron, "let's hang around here for a while."

"All right, but stay close," Takumi warned him. "Cron is filled with all sorts of danger, whether it's wild Digimon or rogue hackers."

Ryota nodded as he followed the Cyber Sleuth through the underbellies of EDEN. After a while of searching Cron, the brunet sighed. "I didn't think it'd be this hard to find a ghost in EDEN."

"Huh?" a hacker loitering around the area frowned at them. "You're looking for a ghost?" He thought about it for a moment before nodding. "Ah, it's about that 'Pale Boy' I've heard about recently, right?"

"Huh!?" Ryota jumped at that. "Have you seen the ghost!?"

"Yeah… I think anyone who gets all flustered by things like that is a real idiot."

"What do you mean?" Takumi asked.

"Okay? This is a Digital World. The real world is a different story, but that doesn't mean that ghosts can appear here," the cool hacker shrugged. "You've gotta think calmly about this… You won't be able to find them because there is no such thing." The hacker laughed at them before leaving.

Ryota let out a heavy sigh. "Hmm, at the end of the day, I suppose there is no such thing as a ghost. We will never find a ghost like this, not even the faintest trace…" He looked over towards his friend. "What should we do, Takumi?"

The redhead placed his hands on his hips as he considered their options. "We could always go back to doing the room laundering or cleaning the pickled stuff, but I'd rather not." Takumi shook his head as he had a better idea. "We're not giving up. Let's stage a picture!"

"You mean you want to fake the picture?" Ryota blinked at him in surprise before closing his eyes to think about it.

"Why not?" Takumi shrugged with a smile.

"That's…" Ryota smiled brightly at his brilliant suggestion, "a good idea, actually!" He chuckled to himself. "That stupid old man should be easy to trick! Right, if we do this, Takumi," he pulled up his camera and pointed it at the blue-eyed boy, "you should play the part of the ghost."

"Eh!?" Takumi's eyed widened. "Why me!?"

"But, you're the only one who can!" the brunet exclaimed.

Takumi crookedly smiled. "F-fine…" The redhead tried posing a few times as he thought a ghost would as Ryota snapped a few pictures. "S-so like this…?"

"No, no," Ryota shook his head. "Do it more like this! Do it more ghost-like! More like a ghost!"

"What does that even mean?" the Cyber Sleuth asked.

"Remember, you've done things in life that you regret, there are people alive with whom you have unfinished business," Ryota stated with a nod. "That kind of thing."

"Okay, but—" Takumi paused as a familiar sensation washed over him. "H-huh…?" He saw the ghostly boy appear behind Ryota and tensed up. "N-no way. You show up here of all times!?"

"Hey, what are you doing?" Ryota frowned at his tense friend.

"Ryota, turn around!" Takumi quickly told him

"Huh?" The brunet turned but saw nothing. "Oh… there's nothing there…"

"I just saw him! The Pale Boy!"

"Huh!? What!?" Ryota turned around again and searched for the ghostly figure. "The Pale Boy!?"

"Y-yeah!" Takumi looked around too, but he was mainly focused for signs of an Eater.

"Oh! Hey, quick! Take a picture!" Ryota cried out. "The camera, get the camera! Quick!" The brunet fumbled around with his camera, taking pictures of something that wasn't there, before Takumi decided it was time they returned to the agency.

* * *

Kyoko sighed at the two teenage boys. "So, let me get this straight," she began. "You couldn't get a photo of the Pale Boy, so you decided to fake the picture?" She frowned at their ridiculous attempt at trying to pass Takumi off as a ghost.

"Yeah…" Ryota frowned. "That's pretty much it."

"Even so," the woman shook her head, "this picture…" She brought her pointer finger up to her forehead. "An elementary school kid could have taken a better picture than this… In the end we will have to reject this case."

Takumi chuckled to himself. "I had a feeling you'd say that…"

"What!?" Ryota exclaimed. "No way… Takumi and me… We put everything we had into this one!"

"It doesn't matter," Kyoko crossed her arms. "Sit down. I'm going to show you how to take a picture of a ghost properly…"

"E-eh!? Kyoko-san…!?" Takumi blinked as the detective began lecturing them on the arts of supernatural photography.

She smiled as she began. "Terror basically arises from the human imagination. 'Anything looks like a face from the right angle.' This is how you can stimulate a person's imagination with a photograph… That is the key technique in ghost photography. So, you just need to invoke the uniquely human phenomenon of pareidolia… For example, here, the perspective in this picture…" she suddenly stopped speaking as she spotted something strange.

"Huh?" Ryota blinked at her. "What's wrong?"

"Hmm, looks like this camera took a photo…" Kyoko nodded.

Takumi peered over her shoulder. "Really!?"

"Huh!?" Ryota got up from his seat and fumbled over the coffee table to get a look too. "Wh-where!?" The brunet's eyes widened as he spotted it too. "Look! Behind Takumi you can see a human figure, but… it has no head!"

Kyoko pensively brought her hand up to her mouth. "But…"

Ryota shook his head and took his camera back. He let out a triumphant cheer. "This, this is a real ghost photo!" He quickly turned towards the exit. "Okay, let's go take this to the editor right away! Takumi, Kyoko-san, thank you both!" Without another word, he quickly took off.

Takumi knit his eyebrows together as he noticed Kyoko was still thinking something over. "What is it, Kyoko-san?"

"Ninety percent of ghost photos are fake…" she mused. "I never thought that this one would be part of the ten percent that are real…"

"Then it's probably fake, right?" the redhead asked as the door behind him opened again. He turned to see Sakura coming in. "Oh, Sakura! What are you doing here?"

"I…" she began with a frown, "I think I'm the one in the photo…"

"Huh? You?" Kyoko frowned at her.

"I… I was worried… about Ryota…" Sakura nodded. "So, I… I followed him to… to Cron…"

"Sakura!" Takumi frowned at her. "That's dangerous!"

She gave him an apologetic nod. "I was trying to watch him from the shadows… but, I… I must have slipped into the frame…"

"Hmm…" Kyoko continued to study the brunette. "I wonder, is there a connection between you and Ryota's actions?"

"Actually, my birthday is coming up soon…" Sakura nodded.

"Oh yeah," Takumi remembered. "Ryota had been talking about it a few days ago. He was wondering what I was planning to get for you so he wouldn't get the same thing or something similar."

"I see, so that's why he needed the money…" Kyoko smiled.

"He… he needed money to buy me a present, so he was looking for a job where he could make a lot in a short space of time…" Sakura frowned. "He… he shouldn't have tried to buy me a present that he couldn't afford…"

"So he was doing his best to find a part time job to buy a present for a girl he was in love with…" Kyoko smirked as she crossed her arms. She began chuckling at the high school boy's motives. "Ah, young love!" She studied Sakura's expression once more. "Hey, are you okay? You have a blank expression on your face. It's like your mind is somewhere else…"

"Sakura?" Takumi worriedly stared at his friend. "Is something wrong?"

Kyoko chuckled some more to herself. "By any chance, is there someone else you are in love with?"

"It's not Jimiken, is it?" Takumi asked in concern. "Anyway, Sakura, thanks for stopping by. I think you should go find Ryota now."

Sakura blinked at the redhead. "Oh, right, yeah. I'm glad I could help clear things up. Oh, and thanks for looking out for him, Takumi. I'm sorry we're always relying on you for this."

"Hey, it's no problem," the blue-eyed boy smirked. "You both have been my friends since the beginning of middle school. Of course I want to help whenever I can." She gratefully smiled at her reliable friend before leaving. "I'll catch you around, Sakura." He kindly let his friend out of the agency before taking a seat at the sofa to begin filing his report.

Kyoko returned to her desk and shook her head out of amusement. "So it was about a present for an unrequited love, eh?" she smirked. "You know," she looked up at her assistant, "our case load has gotten a lot more colorful since you got here."

"I'll take that as a compliment, I suppose," Takumi smiled. "But still, since when did Ryota like Sakura? With as much as he complains about her, I didn't think he actually liked her that way… And for him to go to such lengths for a simple birthday present…" he sighed as it didn't really make any sense given how long the three of them had been friends.

"Oh?" Kyoko curiously studied her assistant. "You don't have someone you'd willingly go to such lengths for? Well, I suppose for an irregular such as yourself, you're beyond such things. Still, I'm a bit curious myself as to how this will all play out. Despite his detestable aura, your friend seems like an earnest client. He'll surely return with another case for us in the future."

* * *

~TAWA~REIKO'S~CASE~FILE~

Takumi frowned as he demoed another single only to deem it no good. He sighed and shook his head. "None of these songs quite match up to Sakura's taste in music."

Kyoko raised an eyebrow at her assistant. "Are you looking for a gift for her too?"

"I had a gift prepared for a while but then it was maliciously caught in an accident where my Digimon may or may not have destroyed it on my orders," the redhead chuckled.

"Did you dislike the music that much?" Kyoko smirked at him.

"Oh, the music was fine," the teen shrugged. "It was the artist himself I—or rather my Digimon—had a problem with." Takumi shook his head as he stopped playing another track he didn't like. "I checked the CD shop upstairs too, but all the shelves are once again lined with Jimiken merchandise. There has to be another place I can visit…"

"There's a lot of action over at Shibuya Records in Shibuya" the detective absently suggested. "You've been there, right?"

"Hm?" Takumi paused at that. "Shibuya Records?" He stopped searching the internet with his Digivice and got to his feet. "That sounds promising. Okay, I'll go check it out."

* * *

Takumi browsed through the CD selections but frowned when he noticed a lot of the cases didn't quite match up with the disc inside. "Hm? Is someone mixing the discs?" He looked around the store and saw an employee standing near the entrance. The Cyber Sleuth smiled as he approached her for some assistance. "Excuse me."

The girl let out a loud yawn but was surprised when Takumi came up to her. "Ah! What!? Who!?" she sheepishly frowned at him. "S-sorry. I can't believe I conked out like that in front of a customer."

"Is everything all right?" Takumi asked in concern.

"All the crazy things around here in the last couple days have really tuckered me out," she sighed.

"Is there anything I can help with?" Takumi offered. "I'm Aiba Takumi, a Cyber Sleuth."

"A Cyber Sleuth?" the girl blinked at him. "You do random acts of kindness and sleuthing?" She smiled at him. "That's awesome!" She suddenly gasped in surprise. "Ah! I really shouldn't be talking to customers like this… My bad… Let's start from the top. I'll be on the ball this time. Okay? Okay!?"

"Ah… Sure thing," Takumi crookedly smiled at her. "Can I get your name? I can refer you to the detective I work for and we can help if you have a case."

"Ah! Right!" the girl nodded to him. "I'm Tawa Reiko! If you don't see the CD you'd like, I can backorder it for you, so don't hesitate to ask."

"Uh… Thanks," the redhead nodded before returning to the office.

* * *

 _Client: Tawa Reiko_

 _Place: Shibuya Records in Shibuya_

 _Details: There have been some weird pranks at Shibuya Records where I work. We need the help of a Cyber Sleuth!_

Takumi smiled as he returned to Shibuya Records. "You submitted a case request, Reiko-san?"

"Hi!" Reiko brightly greeted him. "You're the Cyber Sleuth, huh? Here to take the case? It's a pleasure to meet you! I'm Tawa Reiko! I'm a fan of anime, music, and anime music, so I got a part time job here at Shibuya Records."

"Can you tell me about your case?" Takumi asked her.

"Eh? You wanna know more about the case? Can do!" Reiko looked around the store with a slight frown on her face. "There's been a bunch of weird stuff going on in the store. Like… pranks or something. The CDs on display keep switching without me switching them! Plus, this weird… amateur-kinda CD keeps popping up right in the middle." Reiko lowered her gaze to the ground. "It's not just weird. It's freaking me out! The police said they couldn't do a thing about it. I can't eat. I can't sleep. It's a problem! I mean, there's gotta be an explanation, right? Someone's gotta be doing this. Please, won't you find out why?" she asked the Cyber Sleuth.

"Just leave it to me," Takumi nodded to her. "Do you have any leads on who might have done it?"

"Maybe there was a witness in the shop," Reiko stated as she looked around the store. "Would you mind asking around for information? If you find anything just give me a shout!"

"Right," the redhead smiled at her. "Just leave it to me."

The teen went around asking the various customers about the CD pranks, but he mostly received complaints about how the mixed up cases were making it difficult to find the music they were looking for. Eventually, he found a boy from his school who seemed to know something. "Hm?" the brunet smiled at Takumi. "You're the one investigating the weird stuff going on? I'm not sure I know anything that would help."

"That's fine," Takumi nodded. "Just tell me anything you might know."

"I guess someone keeps adding this mysterious CD to the racks," the boy stated, nodding to the displayed discs. He brightened as he spotted the CD in question. "Oh, look! Here it is."

Takumi took it out from the shelf and blinked as he stared at it. "Huh? Is this… Digimoji?"

"See, the cover's just got these odd-looking symbols," the boy nodded, pointing at the Digimoji. "There's no band name or anything. I mean it's not Led Zeppelin, y'know? Here, you wanna give it a listen?" The CD-loving boy took out a portable CD player and handed Takumi a pair of headphones.

Curious, Takumi put them on and winced as his ears were assaulted by a mishmash of noise. "Eh…?" He continued to listen but the dissonant sounds continued to pound in his skull. "Eh…!" Unable to listen to any more, the Cyber Sleuth quickly removed the headphones. "What is this…?"

"It's pretty awful, isn't it?" the other boy chuckled. "Some people were cracking jokes about some kind of 'monster' composing it. Those rhythms and stuff are definitely inhuman. Kinda tribal…"

"That on top of the Digimoji… a Digimon really might be involved," Takumi muttered to himself. "Okay," he looked back up towards the boy. "Is there anything else strange I should know about?"

"Well, on top of that, the display keeps getting changed up so that, somehow, this CD is always right in your face." The boy nodded as he told the Cyber Sleuth his hypothesis. "My best guess is that someone sneaks in at night. Maybe that's how you find out. Come back after dark and watch the place."

"At night, huh?" Takumi pensively brought his hand up to his chin. "Thanks for the info," he nodded before starting back to the store's entrance. "Let's go talk to Reiko-san again."

Reiko curiously tilted her head to the side as Takumi returned. "Did you listen to the CD?"

"I did," the Cyber Sleuth nodded. "The only thing I can say though is that it… doesn't exactly suit my tastes," Takumi wryly chuckled.

"It's… Well, it's unique! That's for sure," Reiko nodded with a smile. "The artist is definitely creative, just not always… good."

The boy shook his head. "It was horrible," he bluntly stated.

"Eh? You really thought it was that bad?" Reiko paused for a moment before bringing her hand up to her mouth. "Aw, I'm sorry. I myself don't dislike it, per se." She shook her head as she returned her attention to the case. "So? How's the investigation going?"

"Maybe we should come back at night," Takumi suggested.

"After the store closes?" the girl blinked at him. "All right!" she nodded. "If that's how we get to the bottom of this mystery, then we gotta do it!"

* * *

"Kyoko-san, I'm here," Takumi spoke into his Digivice.

"Hm…" the woman smirked as she hacked into the boy's Digivice to get a good look at his surroundings. "You wouldn't even recognize this place at night, huh? It's almost creepy. I ran a scan of Shibuya Records and definitely picked up traces of a Digital Wave. These, uh… 'pranks' are Digimon related. I'm almost certain. The strange symbols on the CD cover art may very well be Digimon writing."

"I think they are," Takumi told her. "It only reads 'King of Digimon' though so I don't know who the culprit actually is…"

Kyoko stared at her assistant in mild surprise over his strange fluency in the Digimon language. "There has to be some clue we're missing," she crossed her arms. "Head in and give the place a full rundown."

"Understood," her assistant replied as he looked around the store.

Reiko smiled as he approached her. "Hey there, Cyber Sleuth. Are you ready to do this? The manager said we had the run of the place until morning. Let's solve this mystery, okay?"

Takumi closed his eyes and brought his gloved hand up to his chin. "Reiko-san, I think it's best if you stepped out. It might get dangerous if a Digimon is involved."

"Huh?" the girl blinked at him. "What do you mean, 'It's too dangerous'?" The girl gave him a smile. "Whoever made that CD is dedicated to their music. I want to meet them! That's why… I want to come along too, Detective! Is that okay?"

The redhead nervously scratched his cheek. "I… guess… But be careful and if anything happens, make sure to keep your distance."

Reiko nodded to him in understanding before looking around the store. "Shibuya Records is great at night. I want to play something with a nighttime feel to it…" she paused though and let out a sheepish laugh. "Oh, we should probably be quiet through, right?"

"Yeah," Takumi nodded as he looked around. He paused when he saw a strange digital passageway. "Huh!? Is that… a labyrinth entrance?"

The raven-haired girl turned to see what it was he was staring at. "Wh-what's going on!?"

"It looks like a Digital Shift," Takumi seriously frowned as he approached it carefully.

"Huh?" Reiko started at him in confusion. "What do you mean, 'Digital Shift'?" She was about to follow him, but Takumi held out his arm in front of her.

"Reiko-san! Get back!" he cried out as he sensed a Digimon coming out from the passageway. His Digivice ran a quick scan on the orange monkey Digimon and Takumi knit his eyebrows together. "Etemon?"

The girl behind him let out a surprised cry. "What is that!? Did I fall asleep on my feet again?"

"Who would come here this late at night?" Etemon asked with a wide smile on his face. "I wonder. Perhaps they're here… for me!" He posed for them and began bouncing in excitement. "My faaaans! My adoring public is here to greet me! Tell me. Are you crazy-obsessed with my awesome tunes?"

"Eh…?" Takumi placed his hands on his hips. "We're obsessed with something else entirely."

"Huh? You sure?" Etemon tilted his head to the side and stared at the serious redhead. "I mean, you don't seem all that psyched to be in my presence. What kinda fans are you?"

Takumi sighed as he mustered up as much enthusiasm as he could. "I'm a huge fan…!" he awkwardly exclaimed. "You know it!"

Etemon chuckled and nodded his head at the boy. "Finally, recognition! You know the true sonic arts when you hear them! Well, since you clearly rock hard to my thundering beats and epic melodies, I'll have to drag you onstage!" he declared.

"H-huh!?" Takumi blinked at him in surprise. Before he knew it, the Digimon grabbed him by his shoulders.

"Now! Come on!" Etemon let out a shriek as he pulled Takumi through the passage.

"Aaah! Mister Cyber Sleuth!" Reiko cried out as the boy disappeared.

* * *

Takumi looked around in confusion. "What happened!?" He quickly calmed himself down and considered his situation. "That Digimon dragged me here… But… where is here?" He nervously chuckled to himself as his surroundings were reminiscent of a subway station. "I don't think I'm in Shibuya Records anymore." He paused as his Digivice began to ring. "Kyoko-san!"

"Hey, look at that!" the detective smiled. "It finally reconnected!" She crossed her arms and seriously nodded to the boy. "Our link with you went dead a while ago. We figured it must have been the Labyrinth, so we've been trying to get you back ever since. Now that we've found a way around it, we should be able to stay in contact despite any other Digital Wave anomalies…" She paused for a moment. "Well, with luck."

"That's good enough for me," Takumi nodded to her.

"So, anyway, you're in the Labyrinth?" Kyoko asked him. "Tell me everything!"

"It looks like the labyrinth is a part of Shibuya's train lines, but there was a passage leading here from the store itself," Takumi explained.

"Shibuya Records, huh…? Who'd have thought there was a path hidden there. Hmm…" Kyoko brought her hand up to her chin. "Every analysis I run comes back the same. The Labyrinth under Shibuya has definitely grown. Even so, it's nothing compared to the one beneath Shinjuku. Given the situation, there was only one logical Digimon response… The creature had no choice but to drag you into the Labyrinth with it. And I assure you, I have no doubt in my mind that it was a Digimon."

"Well, yeah," Takumi sighed. "Reiko-san and I met Etemon in the store before he pulled me in."

She nodded to him. "You need to find him and fast. The Digimon can't have gotten very far."

"Understood," her assistant nodded as he started deeper into the labyrinth. His blue eyes widened when he spotted the Etemon ahead of him. "You…!"

"Huh?" the Digimon turned towards him in surprise. "Oh, welcome!" He suddenly turned around and started running away.

"Hey! Get back here!" the teen frowned as he increased his speed.

"Okay then," Etemon called back to him. "Go ahead. Just try to catch me!" Takumi frowned as the monkey began taunting him. "Over here! This way!" the Digimon laughed. Takumi spotted a dead-end up ahead and smirked, but as he tried to corner the Digimon, Etemon slipped around him. "This way, this way!"

Takumir quickly backtracked but the agile monkey dodged past him again. "We're never going to catch him like this!" the boy exclaimed. He looked around for a moment as he considered a way to trap the Digimon. "We might be able to catch him if we cut in around from behind… Do you have any suggestions?" he asked himself. He paused as he spotted a network he could connect to. With a smirk, he quickly held out his right hand to perform a Connect Jump.

* * *

Etemon jumped as his red-haired fan suddenly appeared from behind him. "Hey! You're getting a bit carried away!" He paused as he noticed the glare on the boy's face. "Wait!? Is it… is it possible!? You've become such a rabid fan of me—Etemon? Such fierce fandom that it spiraled into an obsession!?"

Takumi's expression broke into a confused frown. "H-huh…?"

"And that love—Oh, that love!—turned to cruel hatred," Etemon shamefully shook his head. "You would kill me, so that none else can have me…" He looked up towards the teen with a frown. "No! I can't allow that! I'm simply too much for one hacker to handle!" He pulled out a microphone and took in a deep breath.

Takumi's blue eyes widened as he promptly covered his ears before sending his Digimon ahead to attack the crazy monkey. "Everyone! Stop him!"

"Love Serenade!" Etemon cried into his microphone and his cry amplified into an attack that partially stunned Takumi's team.

Andromon quickly shook it off before raising his right arm. "Spiral Sword!" He threw a blade of energy at Etemon as Rapidmon sped behind their opponent.

"Rapid Fire!" the Cyborg poodle cried, firing his arm cannons.

Yukidarumon flexed before raising his fist. "Zettai Reido Punch!"

Etemon dodged the snowman and laughed as he flipped onto his hand. "Monkick!" he kicked at the Vaccine Digimon before bringing his microphone up again. "Love Serenade!"

Takumi kept his hands up over his ears throughout the battle as he figured out a way to quickly end it. "Andromon, use Gatling Missile!"

The Digimon obeyed and launched two missiles from his chest plate. The homing missiles opened up before firing shots at Etemon, disarming him. Etemon panicked as he lost his microphone. "Eh!?"

"Zettai Reido Punch!" Yukidarumon managed to strike the monkey and soon, Etemon was frozen in place.

The orange monkey groaned as he lost the fight. "Wow… You're much better than I thought. I guess this round goes to you." He lowered his gaze and frowned at the ground. "If you don't want my CDs on the shelves, that's cool. I'll take 'em back. And I promise I'll never use that secret path again. Okay? We good?"

"All right, then…" Takumi nodded before bringing his hand up to his mouth. "Now that we're here, I'm not quite sure what to do," he frowned to himself. His eyes went back up to the strange Digimon. "Hm… So this Etemon. He doesn't… look… like an evil Digimon." The redhead nodded as he decided to head back. "I guess the best move is to report back to the client. To Shibuya Records!"

* * *

Reiko gasped as Takumi returned to the store. "Mister Cyber Sleuth! You're back! That's a relief," she sighed. "You were gone for so long! I didn't know if something happened to you. I-I didn't know what to do…"

"It's alright, Reiko-san," the redhead smiled at her. "I took care of the Digimon behind the case."

"Huh…?" the girl blinked at him. "A Digimon? Does that mean what I think that means? Even outside of Cyberspace EDEN? So that weird thing wit the CDs, all those pranks, it was all that Digimon?"

Etemon began crying from behind Takumi. "Oh, come on! Pranks!? That was art! You sell all kinds of music here. What's the harm in selling mine, too?" he asked. "Why? Why!? I worked hard to make those beats and drop those vocals. Mixing the right amount of guitar is not as easy as it looks! You just don't get my sound."

Reiko shook her head at the Digimon. "W-well… That's not quite what I meant…"

"Huh?" Etemon and Takumi blinked at her in surprise.

"It's just that your music is such an abhorrent assault on my senses that it makes me wish I could claw out my ears…" she stated. "But on the other hand it has a really unique sound that both reinvents and transcends genre. I think people will really dig it."

"R-really!?" Etemon hopefully cried out.

Takumi smiled at the girl's attitude towards music. "You think so?"

"Yeah!" the girl happily nodded. "It just takes a while for new stuff like that to really catch on, y'know? But, hey! Don't ever give up on music!" she stated to Etemon. "It won't give up on you. You have to believe in what you've created or you'll never succeed!"

Etemon cried into his arm. "Y-you…!"

"If you promise to knock off all the freaky stuff, I'll talk to my manager and do my best to get your CDs stocked for real," Reiko nodded. "I'll even give it another listen. Who knows? Maybe I'll end up President of your Fan Club."

Etemon quickly turned around to hide his face from the teens. "Wow… I…" he sniffled. "Thanks you so much! I've never had a real fan before. Much less on this nice to me!"

Takumi smiled to himself as the case ended on a really good note. "This wasn't too bad after all…" he stated in satisfaction.

* * *

"So," Kyoko brought her hand up to her mouth, "after all that, it was a Digimon looking for a little exposure… Taking a shot at fame," she surmised. "I kind of feel like he wasn't punished much for the whole breaking-and-entering thing though."

"It wasn't about that in the end," Reiko shook her head. "We got to the bottom of the mystery and got to hear a really cool up-and-coming artist! Actually, I'm starting to get into his album," the girl told them. "That's the best part about music. There's room for anyone to try their hand," she smiled. "His music may be strange—it's definitely strange—but it pushes the boundaries! You gotta respect that in an artist."

Takumi and Kyoko smiled at each other before the blonde woman raised an eyebrow at their client. "Oho? I like that. You're not just in it to help the store grow. You're trying to expand the world of music. And I would expect no less," she nodded to her.

"Music is the soundtrack of our lives!" Reiko nodded, raising her hand into the air. "Thank you so much, Mister Cyber Sleuth," she bowed to Takumi. "Now I can get back to doing what I love. Always feel free to drop in! Shibuya Records is like a shrine to amazing music! See you soon!"

"Take care, Reiko-san," Takumi nodded to her as she left.

"Hmm…" Kyoko gave her assistant a pleased smile. "She really believes in that store. I hope they know how lucky they are to have someone like her." She chuckled to herself and shook her head. "You can't argue with that level of devotion."

* * *

Takumi let out a satisfied sigh as he finished his report on the case. "Alright, Kyoko-san, here it is," he nodded as he turned it into her.

The detective smirked as she accepted the completed file. "So did you find a proper CD for your friend?"

"Not yet," the redhead shook his head. "I'm still trying to figure out what sort of music to get her."

"Reiko has made a corner just for Etemon's CDs," Kyoko informed him with a smile. "You should definitely go and check it out when you have the time."

"Ah…!" Takumi brightened at that. "That actually sounds like a good idea. Given Sakura likes Jimiken, she'd probably like Etemon's music too!"

"They are rather eccentric artists," Kyoko crossed her arms and chuckled. "I wonder if it would be possible to combine their sounds and personalities…"

The redhead crookedly smirked at his boss. "Somehow I think that would be dangerous…"

* * *

 **Final Notes:** Underground Nakano is a lot of technical exposition. It also brings up a strange problem with detail I have with the Underground Lab and the actual Metropolitan Building. That is... why isn't there an elevator or something between the lab and the building's main floors? And how would one normally access it if there is no direct entrance? Still, this case was pretty interesting thanks to Kyoko's info dump. For Ryota's case... I kinda feel bad that Ryota and Sakura aren't more important than they are. I mean... they're Takumi's real life school friends but Takumi's much closer to his online friends Nokia and Arata than them. I guess it's precisely because they're his school friends and Takumi's not really a student anymore that they're only secondary characters. As for Reiko's case, it was pretty random, but a good reprieve from the usual. I remember my first playthrough, I had an Etemon on my team and kept confusing the one following me for the one I was chasing. It freaked me out a few times actually... Also, a cool thing to note, I'm pretty sure the original voice actor for Etemon in Adventure voiced Etemon here too. It's the same with Agumon and Gabumon. I think it's pretty neat.


	11. Demon Pilgrimage Capriccio

**Author's Notes:** So I forgot Takumi gained Perfects towards the latter half of the last chapter... Still, I didn't really give him a full team of Perfects just yet... Mainly because I was still figuring out what to evolve Yukidarumon into... Eventually, he became Monzaemon but uh... That's not until later. Also... Is it weird that Guardromon, a Virus, evolves into Andromon, a Vaccine, in his normal evolution line? The same thing is going to happen in Hacker's Memory for Betamon, a Virus, becoming Seadramon, a Data...

* * *

Kyoko curiously raised an eyebrow at her assistant as he turned in another report. "So? How's it going? Are you getting used to working as a detective?"

"Hmm?" Takumi closed his eyes and brought his hand up to his mouth. "You're asking me that now?" He opened his eyes and shrugged. "I've gotten used to it, more or less."

"I see," Kyoko brought her hand up too. "No real feel for it yet? But I'm going to need you to work even harder. Our agency's motto is…"

A man in a suit came in and looked around the detective agency. "Um, excuse me…" he meekly tried to get their attention.

Kyoko ignored him though as she nodded to Takumi. "Our agency's motto is, 'Reject not those who come. Chase not those who leave. Those who will not work will not eat.' My father taught me that," she stated with a smirk.

"Eh…?" Takumi blinked at her. "I thought it was 'Doggedly and with all your might, exhibit endurance like hard black iron'… I mean," he pointed up at the calligraphy framed above the window behind her. "It's up there on the wall and everything…"

The inept businessman frowned at the two. "Um… Excuse me…?"

"Huh?" Kyoko finally turned to acknowledge the man. "We already have a newspaper subscription."

"No… that's not it," the man shook his head.

"We've got a fire extinguisher and the Internet, too," Kyoko frowned at him. "We've got everything our office needs. Sorry."

"Um… This is a detective agency, isn't it?" the man asked.

"Huh?" the woman paused.

"This is…" the man continued, "the cyber sleuth detective agency?"

Kyoko blinked at the man and Takumi tilted his head to the side. "Kyoko-san… I think he's… trying to submit a request to us…?" He blinked at the meek man. "Maybe…?" he knit his eyebrows together. "It's actually kinda hard to tell."

"I… I have a case for you," the man nodded. Kyoko and Takumi studied him in silence for a moment longer before the inept businessman shook his head. "I'm a, um, a customer. I mean, a client. A CLIENT!"

The blonde woman continued to blankly stare at him for a few more seconds before she finally gave the man a polite smile. "Welcome to the reliable Kuremi Detective Agency. Please, tell us the details of your case."

Takumi grinned at the man as he showed their new client to the couch. "Can I offer you some coffee in the meantime?"

* * *

Kyoko stared at the man on the client's sofa from her desk. "Hmm. In other words… You planned to buy the Digimon Capture program from a hacker but were robbed of a very rare Digimon medal."

The hopeless business nodded. "Y-y-yes, exactly! 'Digimon Capture, On Sale Cheap!' It sounded too good to be true." He began seething in weak anger. "What they're doing, it's… It's awful! Playing with people's obsessions!"

"Obsessions?" Kyoko frowned at him.

"Yes! People's obsessions!" the man adamantly nodded. "There's nothing more fragile than that! When you want something, you want it no matter what, no matter the risk, no matter the method."

"Isn't that just a person lacking self control?" Takumi asked with a frown. "But, um… You're referring to medals, right? Not… Digimon?"

The man nodded at the boy. "If you're lucky, you can get several, one for saving, one for viewing 'cause they're so special. To think that they'd titillate even a grown-up's obsessions, such a dignified and rarefied thing!"

"Dignified…?" the redhead blinked.

"I'll never forgive them," the man boiled in lukewarm fury. "I'll never ever forgive them!" He began growling and Takumi blinked when it sounded more like he was choking.

"Uh… Okay…"

Kyoko looked over towards her assistant on the sofa before smiling up at their client. "We understand what you're trying to say." She crossed her arms and clarified what it was he was asking of them. "To summarize, you'd like us to get your very rare Digimon medal back for you. Correct?"

"They stole some e-money too but I don't care!" the man nodded. "All I want is to get my precious Digimon medal back." He clenched his teeth and began growling again.

"We'll take on the case," Kyoko stated. "We'll do our best to honor your emotions," she said with as straight a face as she could. When the man left, she motioned for Takumi to approach her desk. "Did you get that, Takumi?"

"For the most part, yeah," he nodded. "This is a property retrieval case."

"The perpetrator likely didn't want the medal itself. I'm guessing the plan was to pawn it for cash given how rare it is." Kyoko brought her hand up to her mouth. "There's a shop that deals in Digimon medals here in Nakano, if I remember correctly. That would be an ideal place to begin the case. Start by asking questions."

"Understood," Takumi nodded.

"Meanwhile, I'll look into this Digimon medal," Kyoko stated as she turned towards her desktop. "It's too bad I don't share that same degree of obsession."

"Eh…?" the boy blinked at her. "I think it's actually healthier that you don't, Kyoko-san," he sheepishly laughed.

* * *

"Ah, you're back," the medal man smiled at Takumi. "Are you here to sell me more medals?"

"Not today," the Cyber Sleuth shook his head. "I'm here for information actually. What can you tell me about this medal?" Takumi showed the man a picture of the rare Digimon medal.

"Mmm, I can't buy that medal," the man shook his head. "It's pretty rare, so you should hold onto it. There's a medal seller in Cron's fourth level though. He might know something about it."

"Alright, thanks," Takumi nodded before heading to the nearest access point.

* * *

Takumi spotted a suspicious hacker wearing a green Zaxon vest and quickly approached him. The hacker blinked at the red-haired sleuth. "What's that? Who are you?"

"I'm a Cyber Sleuth and I have a few questions for you," Takumi nodded to him seriously.

"You've got questions for me?" The boy frowned. "You say you're a saber sleuth?" The hacker shook his head and flashed Takumi a smirk. "I don't care if you're a detective or a cop, but I'm a professional. I don't give out info on customers."

Takumi sighed at that. "You have a client confidentiality code?"

"In my business, client trust is everything," the hacker nodded. He crossed his arms. "You say you're a saber sleuth? What does that even mean, 'saber'?"

"Cyber," Takumi corrected him. "I'm a Cyber Sleuth."

"Oh, 'Cyber Sleuth'," the gainfully employed buyer nodded. "Figures they'd have a job like that now," he scoffed. "Come to think of it, old man Matayoshi said he was in a department with a name like that."

"Huh? You mean Detective Matayoshi of the Cyber Crime Unit?" Takumi asked.

"What's that? You know Matayoshi, that old geezer?" the other boy stared at the redhead in surprise.

"That's right," the Cyber Sleuth nodded. "My detective agency is his secret weapon."

"Really? What do you mean by that?"

"It's just a… thing," Takumi chuckled. "We're something like his ace in the hold. Think of it like a buddy cop drama."

"Why didn't ya say so sooner?" the hacker shook his head at the boy. "I mean, could you not have mentioned that earlier, good fellow?"

"Hm?" Takumi tilted his head to the side as the hacker began to spill.

"Yes, yes, a very rare Digimon medal!" the green-vested boy thought about it. "Yes, someone did come by looking to sell one! We couldn't agree on a price, though, so he left."

"Do you know where he went?" the sleuth asked.

The hacker crossed his arms. "Where did he go? How am I supposed to know?" He tensed up as Takumi frowned. "I'm telling you the truth. Honest! I ain't no liar!" He nervously chuckled at Takumi. "So if you see Matayoshi, would you mind telling him I said hello?"

"Sure," Takumi nodded before setting off deeper into Cron.

"Make sure you remember that!" the hacker called out to him as he left.

Takumi chuckled to himself as he quickly contacted the office. "Kyoko-san, I managed to get some information about the medal from an apparent buyer. He seemed pretty shaken up when I mentioned Detective Matayoshi."

"Hmm… This guy came to sell the medal? Looks like we weren't wrong about that," Kyoko nodded. "And the buyer's attitude did a 180 when you name-dropped Detective Matayoshi? I guess the old man has some real pull," she chuckled. "There are probably plenty of people who owe him. And a lot of people he must have dirt on, too," she considered. "By the way, I've made some progress on the investigation on my end as well," she crossed her arms. "I picked up the signal of the Digimon medal. A very rare Digimon medal, to which a unique ID has been assigned."

"Really?" Takumi asked. "Do you know where it is?"

"I've managed to track it down, but nothing beyond that," she shook her head. "The ID has a privacy setting, preventing the owner and address from being identified. It was a real trick to analyze. The protection on it is pretty damn tough." Kyoko chuckled at the challenge. "But anyway…" she crossed her arms and smirked at her assistant. "Results of the trace picked up signals across the globe, but there was only one signal in EDEN. I would guess that this is the client's medal."

"So where should I go?"

"The signal came from Cron's fourth level and from somewhere pretty deep inside the area. I'd like you to head there immediately."

"Understood," Takumi nodded.

"It's a rough place, so be ready for danger," she warned him. "I leave the case in your hands now."

"Just leave it to me, Kyoko-san," her assistant smirked.

* * *

Takumi tensed up when he saw a hacker ahead of him wearing a Demon mask. "Hold it right there!" he called out. "You're the medal thief I'm looking for, aren't you?"

The Demon hacker turned to him in surprise. "Oh, dear. You're telling me that you think that I stole a very rare Digimon medal? There's no way I could so such a nasty thing. Look at me, with my skinny arms and soft, fair skin."

"Sorry, but the ID on the victim's medal led me to you," Takumi shook his head. "You're going to return it to him now."

"What's that? You've got an ID match?" The hacker shook his head at the persistent sleuth. "Oh boy, you don't know when to give up. Like I told you, I don't know anything? I never saw any businessman."

"I didn't say anything about a businessman," the redhead frowned.

"What? You didn't say anything about a businessman? All you said that the victim was male?" The Demon hacker stopped speaking and stared at Takumi through his mask. After a while, he began to shakily laugh. "Nobody likes a nag! I'll teach you a thing or two! Get outta my way!" he cried out as he sent his Digimon to attack the detective.

Takumi jumped backwards as a white-clothed ghost appeared before him. "Hell's Hand!" the ghost cried out as a giant decaying hand emerged from its cloak.

"Zettai Reido Punch!" Yukidarumon quickly countered the hand with his punch. He managed to shake the ghost off, but another Digimon resembling an ancient cherry tree began shaking its many branches.

"Cherry Bomb!" The tree flung its cherries towards the snowman and Cyber Sleuth.

Yukidarumon protectively shielded Takumi as the boy scanned both Digimon. "Bakemon and Jyureimon…" he frowned. "Yukidarumon, keep out of Jyureimon's attacks. Rapidmon! Andromon!"

Rapidmon quickly circled the giant tree, distracting it while Andromon opened his chest plate. "Gatling Missile!"

While those two took care of the Perfect-level Virus, Yukidarumon squared off against the Bakemon. The ghost frowned at him as it tried attacking again. "Hell's Hand!"

"Zettai Reido Punch!" Yukidarumon deflected the decaying hand before straightening up. "Snowball Fight!"

Takumi smirked as the Adult-level Vaccine finished it off. "Alright, now join the others! Rapidmon! Use Golden Triangle!"

The Cyborg Digimon created a green triangular barrier and released a beam of energy at Jyureimon's scattering cherry bombs. Once the explosives were taken care of, Rapidmon pointed his arm cannons at the tree itself. "Rapid Fire!"

Jyureimon flinched backwards as Takumi's team regrouped. The redhead nodded to his Digimon before calling out to them one last order. "Xros Combo!"

"Rapid Fire!"

"Snowball Fight!"

"Spiral Sword!"

"Boof!" the Demon hacker cried as he fell backwards. "You…!" he glared at Takumi from behind his mask. "I won't forget this!" The hacker quickly scrambled back up to his feet. "I'll report this to my leader… to Jimiken!"

Takumi was about to chase after him, but his Digivice began to ring. "Kyoko-san? I just met a Demon hacker that went 'boof'…"

"Hmm. That's the first time you heard someone go 'boof'?" she asked with a smirk. "What a splendid experience for you!" She suddenly became serious. "But more importantly…"

"Don't worry," her assistant shook his head. "I defeated him."

"Huh? What? Did you get the Digimon medal back?" Kyoko smirked as she shouldn't have expected anything less from her assistant. "That's some impressive work in such a short time. By the way, I contacted you because I have new info," she seriously nodded. "Right now, the next case is at the agency. Given the client and the particulars, I decided that it'd be better for you to cover it."

"Really?" Takumi blinked at her. "Who's the client?"

She shook her head as he would just have to wait until he returned. "Sorry to dogpile you with stuff, but could I have you come back to the office as soon as possible?"

"Alright, I understand," Takumi nodded. He looked up towards where the Demon hacker disappeared and frowned. "So Jimiken really _is_ in charge of the Demons…" He shook his head before returning to the logout point.

* * *

Matayoshi flashed the red-haired teen a wide smile. "Hey, you there! Assistant detective! You look like you're doing well."

Takumi blinked at the detective in confusion. "Detective Matayoshi… What are you doing here? Weren't you looking into…?"

"What's that? Whatever became of the Kamishiro and Nile Corporation case?" he asked. "That's on the back burner right now. I'm on a different case today."

Takumi looked over to the familiar woman at his side. "Ah, you're…"

Kyoko nodded to the boy. "Here is your next client. Your friend Sakura-kun's mother."

"You're one of Sakura's classmates?" the woman asked Takumi. "I've heard her talk about you."

Takumi nodded. "Is there something you need to ask of me?"

"Yes," she gratefully smiled at him. "It'll be easier to talk about this with you. To tell you the truth…" she frowned, "Sakura has run away from home."

"Huh!?" Takumi's blue eyes widened.

"She's been acting very odd lately. I've been worried, but I had no idea she'd do anything like this," the woman sighed.

"You said she'd been acting very odd lately," Kyoko noted. "Could you be more specific, ma'am?"

"There was this… music video," the client explained. "She'd stay in her room with all the lights off, just watching this same video over and over, morning, noon, and night. She wouldn't leave her room, even to go to school. So of course I scolded her for it, but…"

"And that was when she ran away," Kyoko guessed as she crossed her arms.

"Yes," Sakura's mother nodded. "So I went to the police and the detective here recommended your agency to me."

"But why bring you all the way here?" Kyoko asked, looking over towards Matayoshi.

"We've seen a run of cases similar to this lately," Matayoshi smirked. "This would be the straw that broke the camel's back."

"The camel's back?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "I pulled the video we think caused her to run away and did a bit of research. Here…" Matayoshi streamed the video to the office's television.

Takumi turned around from his seat to get a better look as Jimiken suddenly appeared. "Hiii, my little honeys," the rock star smiled. "Thanks for waiting! And now, what you've all been waiting for. 'Of the Demons, By the Demons, For the Demons!' It's time to jack the airwaves! Well? Are you feeling me? This tingling feeling running through your bones?" He crossed his arms into an 'X' over his chest. "Listen up! My new single: Ephemeral Humming Bird! Get chills down your spine. Become fans of mine!"

"Th-that's it!" Sakura's mother cried. "The video Sakura was watching!"

"Well, that saves me the long-winded explanation," Matayoshi crossed his arms. "The 'Demons' hacker team, run by this punk Jimiken, has been on a huge crime spree lately. That said… To pull off something like a large-scale hijacking of the airwaves would require a big sponsor pulling the strings, I would think."

"Hence the camel's back?" Kyoko asked, bringing her hand up to her mouth thoughtfully.

"Yeah," the older detective nodded.

"A large-scale airwave hijacking, a big sponsor, all while police attention is elsewhere…" Kyoko frowned at the only plausible answer. "Kamishiro?"

"There's no hard proof, but it's gotta be them," Matayoshi agreed.

"Kamishiro?" Sakura's mother blinked at them in surprise. "The company that runs EDEN? How are they connected to my daughter?"

Kyoko ignored her question but reassured the woman with a smile. "Leave your daughter to us, ma'am. We'll find her. You can count on us. Stay calm and wait at home. In fact, why don't I drop you off there?" Kyoko stood from her desk and looked over to her assistant. "Takumi, get the details from Detective Matayoshi, okay?"

"Of course," the teen nodded to her.

When both women left, Matayoshi pulled his cap down over his eyes. "If Kamishiro is involved, we HAVE to get to the bottom of this. I made a mess of things with them before. If I mess up again, the top brass will come down on me and hard. The perils of being a civil servant, I suppose."

"Matayoshi-san…" Takumi frowned at him.

The man shook his head before crossing his arms. The older detective intently stared into the boy's bright blue eyes. "That's where you come in. I'd like to borrow your unique 'talents'."

"Eh!?" Takumi tensed up. "What do you mean by 'talents'?"

"Don't worry. I've heard it all from Kyo-chan. She's told me what you can do," he smirked.

"She… did?" the redhead nervously frowned. "Why would she…? And without telling me…?"

"It's only natural that you might be a tad confused," Matayoshi sighed, "But Kyo-chan and I want nothing more than to expose Kamishiro." A serious frown washed over his face as a he looked off into the distance. "I used to believe in justice. I had ideals and a partner I respected. But all of that was taken from me. By Kamishiro."

"H-huh…!?" Takumi knit his eyebrows together. "D-did something happen?"

"Kyo-chan didn't tell you, huh?" Matayoshi lifted his gaze towards the boy's face. "Kamishiro snuffed out Kyo-chan's father, my former partner and the founder of this agency."

"Kamishiro… did!?" Takumi frowned as Kyoko had never mentioned this once to him. She mentioned her father and his various expressions often enough, but she never seemed upset with any of it. "Kyoko-san…"

"Of course," Matayoshi continued, "there's no actual proof, but the two of us have wanted revenge on Kamishiro ever since. I'd like nothing more than to catch them red-handed. With Kamishiro scurrying about like mad and you coming into these weird abilities of yours… This is our big chance. Please," he pleaded the teenager, "help me. No," he shook his head and corrected himself, "Help me and Kyo-chan!"

Takumi knit his eyebrows together as he considered the man's story and saw that Matayoshi had closed his eyes. "I'll do what I can to uncover the truth, Matayoshi-san," the teenager finally stated with a serious nod.

"Thank you," the detective gratefully smiled at him. "I'm counting on you, young one!"

* * *

Kyoko stared at her assistant when she noticed he was a bit more serious than usual. "I just passed Detective Matayoshi on the street," she stated. "What happened? It looked like there were tears in his eyes."

Takumi frowned as he told her the truth. "Matayoshi-san told me about your father." Kyoko slightly frowned at that but said nothing so the teen continued. "You also told him about my half-cyber body…"

"Hmm…" the blonde woman brought her hand up to her mouth. "Detective Matayoshi is a… passionate man, isn't he? He's well aware that your Connect Jump ability skirts the boundaries of what's legal. Plus, he'd ordinarily never ask so much from someone who's still only a child. But…" she crossed her arms as she seriously stared at her assistant. Looking into the boy's blue eyes, she understood everything on his mind so closed her eyes. "For Matayoshi, going after Kamishiro is very personal."

"And you, Kyoko-san?" Takumi asked.

Kyoko shook her head and opened her eyes to look at him once more. "Honestly, the old man thinks I shouldn't get myself involved in this. But I'm going after Kamishiro as well. He's probably thinking that, since he can't stop me, he can still look out for my well-being," she said with a small smile. After a while, she sighed. "He's too passionate for his own good. It can be almost painful to watch sometimes," she chuckled.

"Kyoko-san…" the boy continued to just stare at her, amazed by how she could separate her duty from any remote desire for revenge. He wore a small relieved smile and gave her a nod. "Alright..."

"Sorry for rambling on like that," she apologized to him. She shook her head as it was time for them to work. "Okay, then. Let's get back to the topic at hand. Track down the clues on the missing Sakura."

"Of course," Takumi brought his fist up to his chest.

"Any lead is good, even a small one. Check places she'd usually go to pick up her trail." Kyoko turned towards her monitor and frowned. "While you're doing that, I'll look into Jimiken and this disturbing video. I've got a general guess percolating, but if I'm not careful in checking things out, there could well be fatal consequences. I don't want to lose my assistant through my own personal negligence," she smiled fondly at the teen.

Takumi gave her a smile of his own. "I could say the same thing about you, Kyoko-san," he nodded. He took in a deep breath before psyching himself out. "Alright, then I'm off!"

"Have a safe trip," Kyoko nodded to him.

Takumi smirked as he tried to think about his friend's habits. "Someplace Sakura would be likely to go…" he muttered to himself. "Well, she seems to come to Nakano a lot. It's as good a place to start as any!"

* * *

Takumi looked around Broadway's CD shop before a familiar voice called out to him. "Oh! Takumi! What are you doing in a place like this?"

The redhead turned around and blinked at Nokia. "Oh, hey, Nokia. I'm working right now."

"Oh, wow," she smiled at him. "Working as a Cyber Sleuth? I don't suppose you get to use a magnifying glass or a voice modulator or anything like that, do you?"

"Not really," the boy shook his head. "But more importantly—"

"What? 'But more importantly'?" Nokia glared at him. "What do you mean, 'more importantly'? Gah, why do you always gotta make everything about you!?""

"I'm not!" Takumi seriously stated. "There's a Jimiken music video—"

"Huh? A Jimiken music video? You're investigating Jimiken!?" Nokia frowned.

"Yeah," he nodded. "Do you know anything about it, Nokia? It's for his newest song. 'Ephemeral Hummingbird'?"

The girl quickly shook her head. "Not that I would watch _his_ video! I mean, look at him! Just thinking about him makes my skin crawl! He gets my guts churning. I get hot flashes!"

"Hey, stay on topic here!" Takumi seriously scolded her. "Just tell me what you know!"

"Well, he's not all bad," Nokia crookedly smiled. "I mean the songs are okay."

"Is there something wrong with you?" Takumi sighed.

"What? Am I sick? Of course, I'm not sick, silly!" Nokia smirked at him and crossed her arms. "I just had a heaping bowl of rice topped with egg this morning."

"I don't have time for this," the Cyber Sleuth shook his head. "The more time I waste getting nowhere, the more time Sakura—"

"What's that? Do I know Sakura?" Nokia smiled. "You mean Sakura the crazy Jimiken fan?"

"You know her?"

"Yeah, I know her," she nodded. "She's a friend of mine. We were both listening to Jimiken's songs a while ago. What happened to her? Did she run away or something?" she worriedly asked.

"How do you know that!?" Takumi asked in surprise.

"Well, a lot of Jimiken's fans are running away lately, right?" Nokia frowned. "I heard the rumors. But I thought they were just rumors. If they're true, then this is big. The cops need to put out an ABC on these people!"

The Cyber Sleuth knit his eyebrows together. "ABC? Don't you mean an APB?"

"What!? An APB?" Nokia flashed the boy a crooked smile. "Why, what did I say? I totally said APB!"

"Nokia…" Takumi nervously scratched his cheek.

"But so go on," Nokia nodded to him. "What happened to Sakura-chi?"

"It's probably nothing," Takumi shook his head. "I don't want the cops to have to put out an ABC. Besides, you'll only make a fuss and I don't want to say." Before the girl could get another word in edgewise, Takumi walked away.

"Hey!" Nokia called out after him. "What do you mean? Now I want to know! Wait up! Hey! You! Wait!"

"I'd better keep asking around Nakano," the redhead told himself as he started up the stairs.

* * *

Ryota smirked as he noticed his detective friend coming into the arcade. "Hey, Takumi! What are you doing here?"

"Ah, Ryota," Takumi blinked at him. "I'm working right now. Did you need something?"

The brunet shook his head but looked around curiously. "Well, I'm just glad you're here. Do you know where Sakura is now?"

"Hm? Why?" the redhead smirked at his love struck friend. "Were you looking for her?"

"Um, no, not in particular! There's no deep meaning there," Ryota quickly shook his head. "I'm worried 'cause she's been odd lately."

"So you don't know anything about her disappearance?"

"Whoa! W-w-w-what!?" the brunet exclaimed in surprise. "She's gone missing!?"

"So… you didn't know?" Takumi blinked at him.

"Whoawhoawhoawhoawhoa, hang on!" Ryota frowned at the redhead. "Back it up! I wanna hear everything!"

"I don't have much to go on except that she probably ran away over a Jimiken music video," Takumi shook his head.

"Jimken's music video!? That reminds me," Ryota's eyes widened. "Sakura said something before about an 'evil pilgrimage' or something…"

"Evil pilgrimage…?" Takumi knit his eyebrows together and tilted his head to the side.

"This 'evil pilgrimage' seems to be some event where only select few fans get to meet Jimiken," Ryota explained. He worriedly looked away from Takumi. "No way! Not Sakura! That idiot! She'll be surrounded by hackers! It's too dangerous for her to go by herself!"

"Wait, Ryota…" Takumi quickly tried to calm him down. "What are you going to—?"

"I'm coming for you, Sakura!" the brunet cried out. "Hang on!" He quickly took off before Takumi could stop him.

The blue-eyed boy brought his hand up to cover his frown. "An evil pilgrimage…?" He shook his head as he started for the elevator. "First of all, I'd better report back to the office."

* * *

"An 'evil pilgrimage', you say?" Kyoko smirked behind her hand. "In all likelihood, that's where Sakura has gone. And the evil pilgrimage seems to be aptly named. Jimiken may be a frightful man in more ways than one. And I just finished looking into that music video. That disturbing video was…" she was interrupted when someone entered the office.

"Ah! Takumi!" Nokia brightened when she saw the teen. "You're here!" She frowned at both detectives. "Hey, what's this all about? Everywhere you go, that Jimiken video is playing! Does this relate to the questions you were asking, Takumi?" Nokia turned towards the agency's television and frowned. "But look at that! Even here you've got that video playing!"

"The video's got some fiendish stuff encoded into it," Kyoko warned her as she crossed her arms. "I'd try to avoid watching much of it if I were you."

"Wait, what?" Nokia turned towards Kyoko. "Fiendish?"

"You may have heard of this particular trick," the woman nodded. "It's called 'subliminal messaging'."

"Subdermal messages?" Nokia thought it over.

"Subliminal messages," Kyoko corrected her. "Simply put, messages are sent directly to the brain by slipping images from one video into another so fast they can't be seen. That video is subliminally set to be as addictive as a drug. It effectively hypnotizes you. What's scarier is what it makes you do afterward. There's a post-hypnotic suggestion built in."

"I don't have any idea what you're talking about," Nokia plainly stated, "but that's what made Sakura disappear?"

"Without a doubt," Kyoko nodded. "The suggestion includes a certain URL. I couldn't get the whole address, but it strong resembles the area in which we captured the Digimon medal thief," she said to Takumi.

"It makes sense since he was a Demon hacker," the redhead frowned.

"The location is on Cron's fourth level," Kyoko reminded him. "Get there as soon as possible and check it out for me."

"Understood," her assistant nodded as he started for the television. He paused when Nokia stood in his way. Takumi shook his head at her. "Nokia, come on. You should go."

"Damn it, Takumi! Why didn't you tell me!?" she scolded him.

"What do you mean?" he frowned at her.

"I'm going too!" the girl exclaimed. "Sakura-chi's my friend. I have to help! That jerk of a devil-worshipping idiot!"

"Alright, then come on!" Takumi nodded, not wanting to waste time arguing.

* * *

Nokia looked around Cron nervously. "Whew. It feels like we're pretty far inside here. Every time I come to Cron I get the creeps."

"Relax, Nokia," Agumon smiled up at her. "We'll protect you!"

"We can stay with you here in cyberspace," Gabumon nodded.

"Agumon! Gabumon!" Nokia's face went red as she brightly grinned at them. "What would I do without you two!?"

"Hey, hey, Nokia!" Agumon spotted something in the distance. "Look at that!"

Takumi and Nokia looked up and the Cyber Sleuth hurriedly ran over when he saw Ryota being attacked by a group of Demon hackers. "Ryota!" he cried out.

"Ugh!" Despite the pain, Ryota struggled to remain standing. He grabbed his aching chest and glared up at the hackers around him. "S-sakura… I…" Unable to take any more, he fell to the ground. "Argh!"

"Ryota!" Takumi called out.

"Hang on, hang on, hang on!" Nokia cried to the hackers. "STOOOOP!" She and Takumi glared at the Demons. "What are you guys doing!? What's that shiny thing? No way! Torture, in this day and age!?"

"What's it to you, lady?" a masked hacker asked her. "You know him?"

"How barbaric…" Nokia glared at him. "It's… It's unforgivable!"

"Unforgivable? Really?" the hacker asked her in disbelief. "So what if it is? You gonna do something about it!?"

"Of course!" Nokia faltered a bit before turning towards Takumi. "We are! Right, Takumi!?" she asked as a crooked smile on her face.

"I won't let you get away with hurting my friend!" Takumi nodded.

"That's my favorite Cyber Sleuth!" Nokia cheered him on. "Okay! Let's do this!" Agumon paused and shared a strange look with Gabumon. Noticing her two friends staring at her, she blinked at them. "Eh?"

"You're… not doing anything, Nokia?" Agumon asked.

"Th-that's right!" she nodded. "I'm not doing anything!"

"That's right," Gabumon nodded to Agumon. "It's dangerous. Don't do anything!" he told the helpless girl. "You need to be somewhere safe and just watch as your friend does the fighting!"

Nokia guiltily froze at that. "Bwah!?"

"Eh?" Agumon blinked at the girl in confusion. "Is that what a real friend is? Is that, uh, what friends do?"

"Oof, ack!?" Nokia was at a loss for words. "Oh, jeez. I just… Now I feel like just the worst."

"Never mind that," Takumi shook his head as he called his Digimon. "I'll take care of it!" he seriously told her.

"Whoawhoawhoawhoa, hold on!" the Demon hacker shook his head. "You think you can just ignore us?"

"If you want a fight, I'll take you on!" Takumi cried out. "Ryota! I'll definitely save you!"

"Are you kidding with this crap!?" the hacker growled at the Cyber Sleuth. "I'll mess you up! Gigadramon! Orgemon! Attack!"

"Rapidmon!" Takumi extended his arm.

"Genocide Gear!" the dark dragon roared as he fired a barrage of missiles from his claws.

"Supreme King Fist!" Orgemon cried as he pushed his fist forward, releasing a dark blast of energy.

Rapidmon weaved around the attacks before countering with an attack of his own. "Golden Triangle!"

Andromon and Yukidarumon used the cover as a chance to charge into the enemy, pushing them back. Andromon grunted as he lifted Gigadramon above his head before slamming the mechanical dragon into the ground. The android jumped back as his chest plate opened. "Gatling Missile!"

Yukidarumon glared at Orgemon as the two of them had a punch-off. "Zettai Reido Punch!"

"Supreme King Fist!"

The two exchanged blows until Yukidarumon ducked Orgemon's bone club. The snowman closed in on the ogre-like Digimon before performing a freezing uppercut. "Zettai Reido Punch!"

Rapidmon circled around the field and targeted the Gigadramon with his cannons. "Rapid Fire!"

Andromon supported him with an attack of his own. "Spiral Sword!"

Gigadramon quickly countered by firing at their attacks. "Genocide Gear!" It roared before swinging his long tail at Andromon, tripping the cyborg. "Energy Shot!"

"Andromon!" Takumi reached into his pouch for a recovery disc. "Rapidmon! Yukidarumon! Cover him!"

Yukidarumon nodded at his command. "Snowball Fight!"

"Rapid Fire!"

The Gigadramon tried countering the attacks, but Takumi quickly pushed Andromon to his feet. "Go!"

"Spiral Sword!" Andromon slashed out a blade of energy and watched as the cybernetic dragon was finally felled.

The masked hacker let out a panicked scream as he recovered his defeated team. "I won't forget this!"

Ryota groaned as he tried to get up. "Don't let him get away," he told Takumi. "He knows where Sakura is!"

"I'm on it!" Nokia nodded. "Agumon! Gabumon!"

Both Digimon quickly responded by cornering the hacker. "Okay!" Agumon jumped in front of their target.

"Understood!" Gabumon nodded as he took his position at the hacker's other side.

Takumi sent his Digimon to circle the hacker and with Rapidmon's superior speed, the hacker knew there was nowhere to go. Ryota struggled to get to the boy and grabbed the hacker by his jacket. "Hand it over!" The masked boy let out a squeal as he stared at the hurt teen. "Hand it over now!" Ryota declared.

"Oh, _that_." The hacker fumbled with his Digivice. "Okay, okay! I sent the data!"

Ryota let go of the hacker and let out a satisfied chuckle. "I… did it."

Takumi nodded to his Digimon to let the hackers go before checking to make sure his friend was alright. "Ryota! What were you thinking?" he scolded the brunet.

The high school boy gave the redhead a crooked smile. "I had to do it… for Sakura's sake… I heard… there were hackers selling fake Digimon Capture programs here… They had to have known something…"

"So what?" Nokia asked him. "You let yourself fall victim to the Digimon Capture scam to find out where Sakura-chi is?"

Ryota flashed her a smirk as he chuckled. "But I've beaten them at their own game."

"Yeah, but what the heck was the data you wanted so badly?" Nokia frowned as she crossed her arms.

"Here, Takumi," Ryota struggled to send the data to his friend. "Take this."

"Ryota…!" Takumi's eyes widened at his friend's heroic sacrifice.

"That's where the Demons' hideout is," the brunet seriously nodded to him. "Sakura has gotta be there…" He let out a painful cry.

"Ryota!" Takumi quickly caught him.

Ryota let out another wry chuckle. "Guess I overdid it a little… This account is falling apart…"

"Hang in there!" the redhead cried out.

"Forget about me!" the brunet told him. "Hurry up and find Sakura… Ungh!" No longer able to stand, Ryota collapsed to the ground again.

"Ryota!" Takumi knelt at his side. "I can't just leave you here!"

The boy smirked as he held up his hand to the Cyber Sleuth, which Takumi quickly accepted. "I'm leaving… the rest… up to you…"

"Ryota…" Takumi closed his eyes. "RYOTA!" he cried out.

Nokia watched the two boys' melodramatic scene with crossed arms. Gabumon blinked at the pair in confusion. "Hey, Nokia? Why are those guys so worked up?"

"Good question," the girl nodded. "It's because they're going through adolescence."

"A-do-les-cence?" Gabumon tilted his head to the side.

"You know," Nokia nodded, "Youth."

"Youth…?" Agumon pondered it too. "Is that any different from the 'junior high school disease' you talked about before?"

"Hmm. Well, they're similar," Nokia began, "but… Junior high school disease is when you become a youth after you somehow manage to Jogress."

"Hmm…" Gabumon stared at the two boys in amazement. "I don't really get it, but humans are fascinating!"

"Uh… right," Nokia nodded. "I guess…"

"Just what are you teaching the Digimon?" Takumi frowned as he got back up to his feet. He shook his head as he returned his attention to the case. "Anyway, let's go to the Demons' Den." He looked back at his fainted friend, but noticed the satisfied grin on Ryota's face. "We've been entrusted with something important," Takumi stated with a serious nod.

* * *

"Ephemeral Hummingbird!" Jimiken shouted into his microphone. "You touch my heart!"

Nokia crossed her arms and nodded as she listened to his performance. "Yeah, see," she told Takumi. "The songs themselves aren't so bad. What the…?" she blinked. "What's wrong with me?"

Takumi was only half paying attention as he scanned the crowd for Sakura. "What?" he absently asked his friend.

"Whoa!" Nokia shook her head. "I might have just taken a trip on the dark side."

The blue-eyed boy straightened up as he finally spotted his missing friend. "Never mind that. I found Sakura!"

"What's that?" Nokia quickly turned towards the crowd. "You know where Sakura-chi is? Okay! I'm coming!"

The two rushed into the crowd and Takumi called out for the brunette. "Sakura! Hey!"

"Sakura-chi! We're here to save you!" Nokia told her.

Sakura didn't seem to hear as she stared at the stage. Takumi urgently pulled on the girl's arm. "Hey! Sakura! Snap out of it!"

"Hey, hey, hey!" Jimiken called out from the stage as he spotted the two unwanted guests. "Who are you? What do you want?"

"Jimiken! Let everyone go!" Takumi turned to face the rock star.

"Butting in on my evil pilgrimage," the man shook his head at the persistent redhead. "That takes some guts. You could even say it rocks!" Jimiken studied Takumi for a while before his eyes wandered over towards Nokia. "Aaaargh! It's you, the girl from earlier! The one who was harping all over me because of Digimon. You right little harpy!"

"A right little what, now?" Nokia blinked at him. "Hey, Takumi," she turned towards her friend, "did you understand him?"

"Harping… Harpy…" Takumi shrugged at the not-so-clever pun.

"Gah! Wait, was THAT the whole joke?" Nokia exclaimed. "Bad pun alert! Super bad pun alert!" She paused when she spotted a studio camera pointed at the stage. "But what's going on? Is that a TV camera? Wait, are we… We're smack dab in the middle of an airwave jacking?" She smiled as she tried to jump into the camera's frame. "Wait a minute! Does this mean my face is now in living rooms across the nation?" she asked with a wide smirk.

Takumi sighed at how sidetracked she got. "Nokia…"

"Oh, I'm not ready!" she cried with a blush. "A mysterious beauty needs time if she is to be talked about the next day."

"Idiot," Jimiken shook his head at her. "The camera only faces me. My incredible talent alone is what shines through!"

"But this music video was playing all over town," Nokia remembered.

"I'm talkin' live," the man told her. "It don't mean nothin' 'less it's live. These wicked fans of mine, possessed by the power of the video, have come here to listen! And now, a great crowd of my wicked fans will come to listen to me rock owwwwt!"

"What are you talking about?" Nokia glared at him. "The kids who are here are here because of the salmonella messages in your music video!"

"What? The what messages?" Jimiken smirked at how scrambled the girl's brain was. "Wait, you mean the 'subliminal' messages?"

"Uh, yeah! Right, that's it!" she nodded. "Agumon, Gabumon! Smash that camera!" Both Digimon eagerly jumped up and broke the device.

"Alright, Nokia!" Takumi smiled. He quickly turned towards Jimiken with his Digivice ready. "Now give it up!"

Jimiken stared at the destroyed camera with wide eyes. "Ah, aaah!? No frickin' way! Why you smashin' my camera!? We got that thing special from you-know-who! It's a very special, sweet memory!"

"You-know-who?" Takumi frowned. For some reason, an involuntary shiver ran down his spine.

"You-know-who said my songs needed to be heard by more and more people!" Jimiken frowned. "You-know-who said I needed to become way more popular!"

"You really shouldn't be broadcasting your washed-up glam rocker face into living rooms anymore," Nokia told him.

"Huh!?" Jimiken snapped his head towards her. "Who're you calling washed-up!?"

"Wait, I got it!" Nokia smirked at him. "You're totally ripping off that one band! They were American, I think. Or maybe British? It was something like KICKS or LIPS or whatever."

"You mean KISS?" Takumi blinked at her.

Jimiken let out a frustrated yell. "I ain't rippin' off nobody no-how!" She glared at both teens. "I will not—No, I CANNOT let that slide! This time, there'll be absolutely NO mercy!"

Nokia turned to the Digimon following her. "Agumon, Gabumon, are you ready? This time we're all gonna save a friend!"

"What?" Gabumon blinked at her. "But earlier you said—"

"Now's my chance!" Jimiken began playing the air guitar.

"Sorry, but I won't let you!" Takumi smirked as he sent his Digimon onto the stage.

"Can you feel it?" the rock star asked with a laugh as he summoned his three Digimon too.

Takumi quickly scanned the three Digimon on the field but frowned when he noticed they were all Data types. "Everyone, switch out! Nokia, cover me!"

"Agumon! Gabumon! Let's go!" Nokia nodded.

"Baby Flame!" Agumon spat out a small fireball.

"Petit Fire!" Gabumon cried as he shot out a steady stream of blue flames.

"Be careful!" Takumi warned them. "You're both only Child-level Digimon. That Boltmon in the middle is an Ultimate and it's flanked by two Perfect-level DeathMeramon! Until my Digimon finish swapping, don't overdo it!"

"We'll be fine!" Agumon nodded.

"We've got to protect Nokia after all!" Gabumon cried as he dodged a flaming metal chain one of the DeathMeramon threw towards him.

"Boltmon! Can you feel it?" Jimiken asked his star Digimon. "Use your Tomahawk Steiner!"

The prototype Cyborg Digimon lifted the heavy tomahawk ax from his back and began swinging it in a circle. He let go and threw the ax and it boomeranged through the air, striking Agumon and Gabumon. Nokia let out a cry as her two friends were pinned to the ground by the heavy weapon. "Ah! You two!"

"Baby Flame!" Agumon growled as he attacked again as Gabumon worked on freeing them.

"Little Horn!" He managed to lift it a little, but it was still too heavy for him. He panicked a bit when both DeathMeramon flanked them. "Agumon!"

"Uh-oh…" the small dinosaur frowned.

"Go! WereGarurumon (Black)!" Takumi cried out to the fastest member of his team of Virus Digimon.

"Full Moon Kick!" the dark werewolf howled as he leapt into the air. He swung his leg in a wide arch, firing a blade of energy at one DeathMeramon, before closing in on the other one with his spiked fist. "Kaiser Nail!"

Gabumon and Agumon continued pushing against the tomahawk before two cyborg dragon Digimon came to their aid. The first was a fiercely red dinosaur with two massive blades connected to his arms. The Perfect-level Virus let out a roar before lifting the weapon. The two Child-level Digimon happily got out of the way as they began pelting Boltmon with flames.

"MegaloGrowmon!" Takumi cried out.

"Atomic Blaster!" the red dinosaur roared as his chest-mounted cannons lit up. He threw the ax towards Boltmon, catching the Cyborg Digimon off guard before firing his cannons.

Takumi smirked but soon noticed a DeathMeramon swinging his flaming chains towards WereGarurumon (Black). "MetalGreymon (Virus)! Hold off that last DeathMeramon!"

"Trident Arm!" The mechanical T-Rex fired his metal arm at the burning Digimon and charged forward.

The DeathMeramon roared as he flared up. "Heavy Metal Fire!" he yelled as he began to spew burning metal at the dinosaur.

Jimiken shook his head as he screamed into his microphone. "Yow! Let's raise the roof! Are you feeling me!?"

Nokia and Takumi covered their ears as the speakers began to emit feedback. The girl glared at the annoying man. "Would you shut up already? Agumon, Gabumon! Let's go!"

"Spitfire!" Agumon assaulted Boltmon with a barrage of fireballs.

Gabumon rushed in closer to the Ultimate Digimon. "Blue Cyclone!" He breathed out the blue flames and began spinning in a circle, creating a small twister of flames.

MegaloGrowmon joined in with a roar. "Hammer Edge!" He punched the Boltmon with one of his Pendulum Blades.

"WereGarurumon (Black), MetalGreymon (Virus)! Bring those two DeathMeramon together and finish them!" Takumi directed them.

WereGarurumon (Black) grunted as he lifted his opponent above his head. He threw the burning Perfect towards the other DeathMeramon before MetalGreymon (Virus) launched himself backwards into the air. "Giga Destroyer!" he cried out as the hatch in his chest opened, firing out two organic missiles.

Both DeathMeramon flinched from the explosion before simultaneously attacking. "Heavy Metal Fire!"

"Let's go!" Takumi called out to his Digimon.

"Garuru Kick!" WereGarurumon (Black) returned the burning projectiles to the DeathMeramon.

"Revenge Flame!" MetalGreymon (Virus) used his Trident Arm to unleash a wave of intense flames that engulfed the burning Digimon.

Nokia smirked as Takumi managed to down them. "Alright! One more left!" She called out to Agumon and Gabumon as Takumi's last two Digimon joined the fight against Boltmon. "You can do it, everyone!"

"Tomahawk Steiner!" Boltmon tried throwing his axe again, but MegaloGrowmon countered it with his Pendulum Blades.

"Now's our chance!" Takumi cried out. "Xros Combo!"

"Atomic Blaster!"

"Full Moon Kick!"

"Giga Destroyer!"

"Baby Flame!"

"Petit Fire!" Gabumon watched as the Ultimate-level Digimon fell to the ground before jumping in victory. "Excellent!"

Agumon happily turned to Nokia. "Nokia, is this what real friends are like?"

The girl happily nodded at them. "That's right!"

"Alright, Jimiken! It's over!" Takumi stated as he climbed onto the stage to face him.

"Damn iiit!" the man cried. "Why does it have to end like this for meeee!? I just wanted to bring my simple, pure rock 'n' roll to as big an audience as possible! And I finally got help from you-know-who. I don't know how I'm going to tell—"

"You keep saying 'you-know-who'," Nokia frowned at him as she crossed her arms. "Who the heck are you talking about?"

"You-know-who is you-know-who, duhhh!" Jimiken crossed his arms into an 'X' over his chest. "Rie-onee-sama!"

"R-r-rie-onee-sama!?" Nokia frowned at Jimiken in confusion.

Takumi shook his head as an involuntary shiver ran down his spine. "Just what is Kishibe planning?" he asked the rock star.

"You know her, Takumi!?" Nokia asked the boy in surprise.

"Not now, Nokia!" the Cyber Sleuth stated. "I need to—"

"That's enough!" a familiar voice calmly called out.

Takumi frowned as now was a bad time for interference. "Yuugo…"

Nokia gasped as she looked up towards the light-haired hacker. "Oh, it's you guys," she frowned as she saw Fei following the legendary leader of Zaxon.

"Jimi-han," Fei crossed her arms, "look at you. You're pathetic. I was against using phonies like you from the very start."

"Hang on—" Jimiken's eyes widened as the girl approached him. He let out a scream as Fei quickly erased his account. "Rock… 'n'… roll…" he groaned before he was completely deleted.

"You're what we'd call a filthy pig down on the farm," Fei smirked.

Yuugo brought a hand to his forehead and closed his eyes. The boy only sighed as he opened his eyes. Takumi noticed the boy was frowning at how things turned out, but it seems as though it had to be done.

"Yuugo…" Takumi frowned as he tried to get the hacker to explain something to him, but Nokia stepped forward first.

"Hey, you," she glared at Fei. "What are you doing? I was the one who was gonna bombard him with questions!"

"You stay out of this, you frumpy little haglet," Fei coolly glared at her.

"What? Frumpy? Me!?" Nokia frowned. "You… you idiot! I am SO not frumpy! You're the frumpy one, calling me frumpy! So there! And what do you mean by 'stay out'? How are you involved with all this?"

"Not only are you frumpy, but you're too nosy for your own good," Fei sneered at the red-haired girl. "Shut your fool mouth before I shut it for y'all!"

"Agumon! Gabumon!" Nokia called out to her two friends.

"Yeah!" they both cried as they faced off against the bee-themed warrior rushing towards her. Before either Digimon could attack though, the speedy Ultimate Digimon preempted them.

"Mach Stinger Victory!"

Takumi watched as the battle had barely even started before Agumon and Gabumon were sent flying. He analyzed the Digimon and frowned at the power the TigerVespamon held. He looked towards Fei and Yuugo but noticed Yuugo didn't seem particularly too invested in the fight. Instead, the light-haired hacker had been focused on studying Takumi.

Both boys stared at each other as Nokia rushed to Agumon and Gabumon's side. She knelt down in disbelief. "No way!" She hesitantly looked up towards Fei who was smugly smirking at her. "She's too strong! I'm no match for her! Agumon… Gabumon… I'm so sorry!"

Takumi frowned at Yuugo and shook his head at him before the grey-haired boy nodded in understanding. "Fei!" Yuugo called out to her. "Give it a rest for now."

"Ha! As-if!" Fei smirked at Nokia. "If this is the best she can do, I can whup her!"

"I said to knock it off!" he sternly stated. "Or do you mean to defy me as well?" he asked.

Fei immediately backed down at that. "Gosh… I-I'd never! I couldn't possibly! I… would never… betray you…" she told her leader. She frowned at him for even thinking such things. "Shucks… Don't even say it."

Yuugo turned back to face Takumi and brought his hand up to cover his concerned frown. "This incident was an oversight on my part. I apologize."

"Yuugo, can you at least explain it to me?" Takumi asked him.

"He just wanted to attract greater crowds, which is why he hijacked the airwaves," the other boy stated. "Someone at Kamishiro prompted it, though."

"Kishibe Rie…" the redhead muttered with a nod.

"Kamishiro!?" Nokia frowned. "Then that means…"

"That Jimiken is nothing more than a Kimishiro pawn," Yuugo explained. "Undoubtedly, it was Kishibe Rie who put the idea in his head and the hijacking program into his hands."

"Then if Jimiken testifies to that fact…"

"It's no good," Yuugo shook his head. "Everything he's done has been of his own free will. He has been as skillfully manipulated as the girls he controlled with his posthypnotic suggestions."

"But Yuugo…" Nokia crookedly smiled at him. "How come you know about this place?"

He didn't answer so Takumi quickly said something in the hopes of invoking a response from the composed boy. "It's just like back then when you saved me from the Avalon Server…" The blue-eyed boy noticed how Yuugo's eyes flicked towards him before casting them elsewhere.

Fei frowned at the two nosy redheads. "Didn't I tell you, you frumpy little thing? Stay out of this."

"Yuugo," Takumi stared levelly into his grey eyes, "you know why I can't do that. I'm an irregular hacker, after all. You yourself said that and more when we first met. Call me a 'soft touch' but I know we both want the same thing for EDEN. That's why I'm a Cyber Sleuth."

It was probably for a fraction of a second, but Takumi swore the other boy wore a small smirk at that. "I'll send coordinates for the location where girls are gathering in the real world to your terminal," Yuugo nodded to the Cyber Sleuth.

Takumi smiled as he knew that there was no way the other boy was going to tell him anything else. "Thanks, Yuugo…"

Yuugo turned away from the irregular hacker to hide his expression from the deceptively sharp redhead. "Sorry to make you clean up this mess, but… Thank you," he told Takumi. "Let's go, Fei." He didn't look back as he headed for the exit.

Fei blinked at Takumi in surprise before looking towards Yuugo. "Hang on just one gosh-darned minute!" Before following after him, she flashed Nokia a smirk. "You're lucky I have a thing for weak and frumpy things. It kinda makes me wanna punch a wall, though. Next time, I won't go so easy on y'all."

Nokia crossed her arms as she left. "Wh-what's up with her? We've got Yuugo and Kamishiro and this and that… It's all just so stupid-complicated!"

"Not really," Takumi stated as he brought his hand up to his mouth. He closed his eyes to consider everything that has happened thus far. "If I think about it enough, I'm sure—" he winced as Nokia cried out.

"Oh! That's right! We came to save everyone who was on Jimiken's evil pilgrimage!" Nokia hurried back to Sakura and the others. "Sakura-chi! All you girls are suffering from the Pomeranian effect! Are you okay!?"

"Stockholm Syndrome…" Takumi corrected her with a smile. He shook his head as he'd have to go over his thoughts another time, preferably with Kyoko. "First of all, let's head back to the agency," he suggested to Nokia.

* * *

"I see," Kyoko proudly smiled at her assistant's recount of what happened. "Then you were able to safely rescue all those who had been subliminally brainwashed?"

"Yeah, but…" Ryota frowned, "they're all in the hospital now."

"Nothing to worry about," Matayoshi reassured the boy. "There are specialists who can break post-hypnotic suggestions."

"More importantly, how are you doing?" Kyoko asked him. "I heard the hackers did some nasty things to you."

"I'm perfectly fine!" Ryota exclaimed. "I just want to…"

"What's wrong, Ryota?" Takumi asked him with a tilt of his head. "Are you still…?"

"I'm going to look in on Sakura!" his friend adamantly stated. "I'm still really worried about her!"

Takumi smiled as the brunet quickly took off. "Ryota…"

"Ah, the passion of youth…" Kyoko smirked as she crossed her arms.

"Well, then," Matayoshi crossed his arms before sternly nodding to Takumi. "Mind if I ask about the highlights of the case?"

"Not at all," Takumi shook his head as he explained it to the older detective.

"Hmm," Kyoko brought her hand up to her mouth. "If I were to summarize the police report, it would probably read like this. The Demons and Kamishiro conspired together…"

"But assuming Kamishiro is behind this string of cases, just what exactly are they after?" Matayoshi asked.

Takumi closed his eyes. "Jimiken only wanted to further his fan base… Kishibe helped him accomplish that, but why?"

"We're missing something, but what?" Kyoko asked. "Or will that something make itself known? Is trying to jump to a conclusion with what little info we have now too big a risk?"

Takumi opened his eyes. "We don't know enough quite yet to make a guess or act," he concluded.

Kyoko nodded in agreement to his words. "Let's proceed on the possibility that we're either missing something or that something will turn up," she smiled at her assistant.

"Right," Takumi nodded and returned her smile.

"Thanks for all your effort again," she nodded back. Kyoko lifted her gaze towards the girl sitting on the client's sofa. "You have my thanks as well, Shiramine Nokia."

Nokia looked up at the detective in surprise. "Oh, uh, well, thanks…"

"Nokia?" Takumi stared at her before realizing she had been quiet for quite some time now. "Is something wrong?"

The girl frowned to herself and closed her eyes. "Hey, Takumi? Do you have a second? I want to talk to you outside real quick."

"Hm?" Takumi tilted his head to the side. "Alright, sure." He watched Nokia head out but frowned at her in concern. He shook his head before following her out.

"She wants to talk outside, huh?" Matayoshi smirked as both teens left.

"Maybe this is also the passion of youth at work," Kyoko chuckled. "Enough of that," she crossed her arms. "Any progress on the Kamishiro and Nile Corporation case, old man?"

"Don't rush me," the detective stated as he placed his hands into his pockets. "I'm in the process of clearing some key obstacles. It's like I always said…"

"Haste makes waste, right?" Kyoko nodded.

* * *

Nokia frowned at her friend. "Um, Takumi… I… I just…"

"Come on, Nokia," Takumi told her, placing his hands on his hips. "Just tell me already."

"I will NEVER forgive what those hackers did!" she fiercely exclaimed.

"H-huh!? What do you mean?" he blinked at her.

"To use such adorable Digimon so selfishly, as their puppets—as their slaves!" Nokia frowned as she further considered something. "And the Digimon were so miserable. I felt so, so bad for them."

"Yeah…" Takumi sighed.

"When I saw what you were doing, I knew I needed to do something too," Nokia stared at the redhead in admiration.

"Like what?" he asked with a slight tilt of his head.

"Looking on from the sidelines isn't good enough," she shook her head. "There must be something I can do to help!"

"Yeah…" Takumi gave her an encouraging smile.

"I just can't think of anything specific I can do right now," she admitted. "But if I do, you'll be the first to know! Look forward to it!"

"Alright, Nokia," he brightly chuckled.

"Okay, it's on!" the girl shouted. "I'm going to use the power of my sexy cut bod to the max! Shiramine Nokia… Fight on!" she raised her fist.

* * *

 **Final Notes:** It's after this Nokia starts to really improve. As for Ryota and Sakura... well... Sakura wasn't really important to begin with but Ryota completely gets relegated to just one more sidequest before being further demoted to just DigiLine messages. Oh, and that's the last of Jimiken getting involved with the main story. Man, the Demons were very short-lived. Well... not really considering their uniforms have been around since Yuuko's first case. Oh, what's up with the Japanese name of Ogremon being Orgemon? That's a bit weird too... Sorry if I'm rambling... I'm kinda hungry...


	12. Cyber Sleuth's Luck

**Author's Notes:** Only two side cases this time, but I gotta say, this set is probably my favorite.

* * *

~BROAD~DAYLIGHT~

Kyoko sat back in her office chair and frowned at the monitor. "Hmm…" she crossed her arms and stared at her latest results.

"Is something wrong, Kyoko-san?" Takumi asked as he carefully reorganized their case files.

"Lately, the Digital Waves seemed to have stabilized, but that shouldn't be the case, considering that ley line tunnel you discovered." The detective frowned as she started another scan of all the Digital Waves in the Tokyo metropolis. "Rather than the waves settling, could someone be manipulating them to make it appear settled?"

"Is there any place you want me to check out?" Takumi pushed the filing cabinet closed and approached her desk. "I could search for a distortion or other signs of a labyrinth if you need me to."

"It would probably be best to search areas where a labyrinth has already been established," Kyoko nodded to him. "So, the labyrinth entrance in Shinjuku would be a good place to start… If you have the time, stop by and check it out."

Her assistant nodded to her before setting out. "I'm off!"

"Have a safe trip," she smiled at him.

* * *

Takumi strolled down Shinjuku's downtown before he felt a strange shiver run down his spine. "What is this chill I feel!?" he asked as he looked around. "It feels like something's…" his eyes widened as he quickly took a step back, "out to kill!?" A bright flash of light whizzed past him but looking around, Takumi didn't notice anything else out of the ordinary. "H-huh…?"

The redhead was about to take time to think it over but his Digivice began to beep. "A case came in from Detective Matayoshi," Kyoko notified him. "Hurry up and come—"

"Kyoko-san, I think something almost tried to kill me!" the boy told her.

"What? You felt something ominous in the air just now?" she raised an eyebrow at him. "Since when have you been so superstitious?"

"But I felt it," Takumi frowned as he looked around the street again. "My body reacted to something. I know it."

"It's probably nothing," Kyoko reassured him. "Just get back here so we can get to work already."

"Hey, don't forget you were the one who wanted me to check Shinjuku's labyrinth in the first place," the boy pointed out with a grin. "That said, though, there's nothing to report on _that_." He shook his head as he started back for the office. "Anyway, I'll be back soon."

* * *

 _Client: Matayoshi Gorou_

 _Place: Shinjuku_

 _Details: An invisible slasher is rampant in Shinjuku. Catch the culprit before something serious happens. Please help!_

Takumi blinked at the note and thought back to that ominous wind he had felt earlier. He looked up at the detective sitting on the client's sofa and frowned. "So what's this about, Detective?"

Matayoshi placed his hands into his pocket and seriously nodded at Kyoko and her assistant. "There has been a string of some real oddball incidents lately out in Shinjuku. Cars, trees, building exteriors, they're all getting sliced up. And with clean cuts, too, like someone took a real sharp knife to them."

"That sounds dangerous," the teen's blue eyes widened.

The old detective nodded. "Thankfully, nobody has actually gotten hurt by this so far. Right now, it's just a case of trying to curb vandalism we're dealing with here. But it's heavy-duty stuff getting damaged here. Imagine if people started getting targeted somewhere as dense as Shinjuku. It'd be a real problem."

Takumi crossed his arms and nodded in agreement. "Yeah…"

"As long as we don't know who's behind this, we can't predict what'll be next," Matayoshi sternly stated. "And the police can hardly be bothered to get off their asses and—" he quickly stopped talking and shook his head. "Like this'll help us. It's after the last incident."

"I see where this is going…" Kyoko nodded. "All right, we'll check it out for you," she smirked as she immediately returned to her desk.

Takumi curiously peered over her shoulder and watched her work. "What are you doing, Kyoko-san?"

"I've hacked into… I mean," her eyes shifted to the detective also staring at her monitor, "I've, uh, 'politely borrowed' access to a security camera in Shinjuku so we can check out what it's been recording."

Matayoshi turned his head away from his late partner's daughter. "I don't see anything and I damn well don't hear anything right now, either."

"It doesn't look like I can find any of the actual crime scenes…" Kyoko shook her head. "Though I'd wager that you've already checked on this much yourself."

"There's really nothing left on there, huh…?" Matayoshi sighed.

"Oh," Kyoko chuckled as she spotted a certain redhead coming down the street on her screen, "I just found something interesting. Here's my trusty assistant from just a little while ago. Let's take a look."

"I'm telling you I really felt something try to kill me, Kyoko-san," Takumi frowned as he placed his hands on his hips. He intently watched the video and nearly didn't see the flash of light that streamed across the screen, narrowly missing him. "Eh!?"

"Wait," Matayoshi blinked in surprise, "what was that flash of light just now!?"

"Hmm… We just might have a real live 'Kamaitachi' on our hands here," Kyoko stated as she crossed her arms. "You've probably heard about them before from folktales, right?" she smirked. "Kamaitachi are weasel spirits with claws as sharp as a sickle. To hear the stories tell it, they attack people by appearing inside a sudden whirlwind, cutting their victim's skin sharply in its wake. What probably really happens is that when people's skin gets really dry, it can get cut up by small rocks blowing in the wind… or so we thought." She reexamined the video again. "Looking at this footage, I think it's safe to say that's no ordinary gust of wind. Knowing that, there well could be an actual kamaitachi on the loose in Shinjuku. Hrm…"

"Putting fairy tales aside for the moment…" Matayoshi frowned. "What we do know is that light reflected off something. Maybe the wind somehow, or a blade…"

"Or maybe something else entirely… Who knows?" Kyoko shrugged before looking over her shoulder towards her lucky assistant. "But that light definitely skimmed really close to your head there in that footage. If you hadn't felt anything 'ominous' back there, we might have seen your head pop off your shoulders," she chuckled. "Better stay sharp. You can stay lucky for so long, you know."

"That's not funny!" Takumi frowned at her. "You were the one who told me it was 'nothing'! I could have died back there!"

Kyoko smirked at him as she relayed new instructions to him. "Head back to Shinjuku and investigate the surrounding area. Detective Matayoshi and I will stay here to analyze the footage some more."

"Oh, sure, let me take on the dangerous task," the redhead nervously chuckled. He shook his head as he knew his body was the best equipped to handle the situation. "Well, I have the reflexes for it, I suppose. Alright, I'm going to check it out."

"We'll be doing our own investigating from here, too," Matayoshi nodded to him. "Be safe out there."

* * *

Takumi knelt down by a wall and frowned at the scorched building. "There's a thin line coursing here that looks like a burn mark…" he blinked at that. "Wait, a burn mark?" He quickly captured an image of the scene with his Digivice and called the office. "Kyoko-san, can you take a look at this?"

"You found a burnt spot, you say…?" the woman studied his picture. "Hmm… Anything else of note you found there?"

The redhead felt another chill. "It's not evidence, per se, but…" he nervously frowned and scanned the street again.

"What's wrong? Does something feel off again?"

"Yeah, but—" A flash of light caught his attention and he snapped his head towards it. Takumi winced though as something bright blinded him. "Ow!" He rubbed his eyes and blinked a few times.

"A flash of sunlight reflected off a window and blinded you? Hmm…" Kyoko brought her hand up to her mouth as she considered something.

"What is it, Kyoko-san?" Takumi asked. He was surprised when Matayoshi took her place on the screen.

"Heh, looks like you froze Kyo-chan for the time being," he told the boy. "Oh, wait, there she goes," the man blinked as Takumi heard some shuffling in the background. "She's moving again. Guess she's looking something up," the detective shrugged.

"Is she alright?" Takumi asked.

The old man laughed at the concerned boy. "Once she's like this, she's lost in her own world. No point in trying to talk with her. Looks like she'll be at it for a while."

"Okay then," the redhead nodded. "But what should I do now?"

"I hate ordering you around since you don't work for me, but would you mind looking around for more clues for us?" he asked. "We've had a lot of reports about this phenomenon come into the police department, so there could definitely still be something left to find."

"Understood," Takumi stated before hanging up. He went further down the street but paused again as he noticed a part of the ground was scorched so knelt down. "There's another one of those burn marks on the sidewalk here…" he muttered to himself. He stood back up and pondered notifying Matayoshi but his entire body began to tingle. "I feel it… that murderous intent again!" He quickly stepped back as a flash of light narrowly missed him. Another beam came towards him but his body automatically dodged to the side. Takumi smirked as he was getting a vague idea of what was happening. "Heh, is that the best you've got!? You're too slow! The jig's up now that I know your trick!" His taunting didn't seem to affect whoever was targeting him though as he ducked another beam of light.

"Hey, it's me," Kyoko called him again. "I've figured out what's going on. The culprit, whoever they are, is using reflections to their advantage. Have you ever heard of the Walkie-Talkie building?" she asked her assistant as he dodged another attack.

"No," Takumi shook his head as he scanned for another strange beam of light. "What about it?"

"It's a super tall skyscraper in London that was at the center of a really bizarre incident," she explained. "Basically, there were cars parked nearby it that mysteriously had parts of them melted and warped." She watched as Takumi dodge to the side. "The cause of it was the building's windows. The panes were installed in such a way they reflected a sunbeam potent enough to damage the cars."

"Okay, but for that to be possible, the panes would have needed to amplify the light as it was reflected," Takumi frowned. "Are you saying I'm dealing with something similar here?" he asked as he sidestepped to his left.

Kyoko shook her head. "In this instance, we're not dealing with sun rays. Judging from the flash of light and those burn marks you've found, we're probably dealing with lasers here."

"Lasers?" the redhead's eyes widened as he realized why his body was able to react accordingly to the flashes aimed at him.

"But this isn't your ordinary laser pointer we're talking about," Kyoko continued. "Only weapons-grade lasers could leave such burns. The question is how someone managed to set them up all around Shinjuku and fire them off without people spotting them… There hasn't been any big power surge in the area… Could there be batteries…? No, wait… The Digital Wave readings are fluctuating weirdly."

"Yeah, I'm faintly detecting a Digimon somewhere," Takumi nodded as he ducked his head. "But the Digital Waves are different here… I can't explain it…!" he gasped as a laser beam nearly tagged his left arm.

"Don't tell me they're using the Digital Waves as a substitute for microwaves in an impromptu 'maser'…? If that's the case, then…" Kyoko seriously looked Takumi in the eye. "Hey, you think you can trust my deductions and your good luck to pull us through?" she asked him.

Takumi frowned as he stepped to his left before jumping back to his right. "Of course!" he nodded. "Like I'd ever doubt your judgment! Let's just hurry and do something!" The boy quickly pulled his arms closer to his body and dodged to his right.

"I like that attitude," Kyoko smirked as the boy suddenly cut his visual display. "Then here's the deal. The culprit is aiming that laser at you using every reflective surface in the area. We're going to use that to our advantage. The fact that a laser is bouncing around towards you means we can trace it back to its origin point."

Takumi ducked into a crouching position. "Alright, so you want me to find said origin point," he nodded. "But how do I do that?"

"To do that, you need to get in the line of fire," she told him. "But you have to time it well or else you'll get a hole burnt right through your skull. Do you get what I'm asking here?"

"A Connect Jump? Straight into the beam itself!?" Takumi's eyes widened.

"As soon as that laser's got you, I want you to Connect Jump into it and dive inside," Kyoko stated.

"Will that really work!?" Takumi jumped to his left and stood straight up.

"If my thinking is correct, that laser is actually a type of Digital Wave."

"That makes sense if my body can sense it," Takumi frowned as he stepped to his right.

"If it is, the instant that beam of light hits something, it forms a connection with the origin point and establishes a faux network of sorts. That's what should make it possible for you to Connect Jump into it."

"Right…" Takumi rotated his body slightly as another laser nearly skimmed past his chest. "I think I'm starting to get it…"

"I know it sounds crazy, but you're easily the luckiest person I've ever known," Kyoko told him. "You can do it! Trust yourself and tackle this head on!" she encouraged her trusty assistant. "Just concentrate. If anyone can do this, it's you!"

"Alright, Kyoko-san," Takumi braced himself for the next beam and stared at it straight on. "Just leave it to me!" he cried out as he extended his right arm towards the laser.

* * *

Takumi blinked as he noticed a strange Digimon at the end of the Digital Network. His Digivice quickly ran a scan and identified it as a Tankmon, but the redhead noticed there was something unique about the Digimon's signature. "H-huh…?"

The Tankmon spotted the boy coming towards him and tensed up. "Who are you!?" he suspiciously asked. "How did you find me here!? Are you some army goon trying to take me back!?"

"Army?" Takumi shook his head. "What army?"

"You're not with the army?" the Digimon blinked at the boy. "Well, I'm an optical weapon Digimon that broke out of a certain country's military. I was developed and trained to be a weapon capable of attacking the real world directly from cyberspace. But I hated it," Tankmon frowned. "I hated being worthless to them for any other purpose aside from that. And I hate anybody in the army who just tries to treat me like a weapon, so I ran away."

Takumi frowned at the Digimon as he could see where he was coming from. "So you escaped from the military, but why are you firing lasers in a civilian area?"

"You're wondering why I was attacking the city?" Tankmon shook his head in surprise. "But I was just practicing my techniques over the network to find something else I could do, that's all." He frowned as he realized what had been happening. "Oh, so my lasers were shooting out into the real world without me even realizing it? Sorry about that." The Digimon wryly laughed at his pitiful existence. "Try all I might, no matter how much I run away, I really am just a mean old weapon in the end…"

Takumi smiled and shook his head at the Digimon. "No. You're more than a simple weapon," he reassured the Tankmon.

"I'm wrong?" Tankmon stared at Takumi in genuine surprise. "Because if I was a real weapon, there would have been casualties?"

"That's right," the boy brightly smiled at the Digimon. "Come with me," he offered. "I'm sure I can find a place where you can belong without having to be a weapon."

The Digimon gratefully smiled at the irregular hacker. "You're really someth—"

Takumi blinked as he suddenly received a call from Matayoshi. "Hey, are you okay!?" the man asked him. "You look all right. I'm so relieved to see you again. If something had happened to you, it would have made me look really terrible as a detective. So I'm glad to see you're okay."

"Detective!?" Tankmon glared at Takumi. "I knew it! You lied to me! You really are just a government dog!"

"N-no, wait," Takumi tried to calm the Digimon.

"I'll make you pay for this, you two-faced scumbag!" the Digimon roared. "If you're so desperate to make me a weapon again, then I'll give you what you want and then some! Take this!"

"Tankmon, wait!" Takumi dodged out of the way of a laser. The Cyber Sleuth's eyes widened as his Digimon came out on their own. They didn't even bother waiting for his orders as they quickly rushed to defend their hacker.

"Atomic Blaster!" MegaloGrowmon roared.

"Giga Destroyer!" MetalGreymon (Virus) bared his fangs at Tankmon before shooting his missiles at the weaponized Digimon.

"No! Don't!" Takumi cried out to his team. He gasped as he narrowly dodged another laser. The boy bumped into his WereGarurumon (Black) and the loyal werewolf quickly picked him up and dodged the barrage of missiles, bullets, and lasers Tankmon aimed at them. "Tankmon!" the redhead tried once more to reach the Digimon. "I don't want to fight! I know you don't want to either! Stop it!" He flinched as WereGarurumon (Black) shielded him from the attacks.

"Machine Gun Arm!" Tankmon fired a steady stream of bullets at the team of Perfects. He noticed MegaloGrowmon and MetalGreymon (Virus) rushing towards him.

"Metal Slash!"

"Double Edge!"

Takumi grit his teeth as he noticed Tankmon was still firing his lasers haphazardly around them. Although he really didn't want to, the Cyber Sleuth knew he had to quickly stop the weaponized Digimon before a stray laser really did hurt someone. After taking a deep breath, he looked up to his dark werewolf. "Use Full Moon Kick…" WereGarurumon (Black) growled an affirmative before leaping into the air. With a howl, his attack landed, forcing Tankmon to lower his arms in defeat.

"That's… that's enough." Tankmon frowned as Takumi carefully approached him. "I get it. I'm nothing more than a weapon to be fired off. I know that after fighting you now. But if that's the life I have to lead… Then I wish I'd never been created…"

"No…! That's not true…!" When he was close enough, the redhead reached his gloved hand towards the Digimon as he faded away. The Cyber Sleuth knit his eyebrows together as he stared at the scattering data. After scavenging as much as he could, he clenched his gloved hand into a tight fist before deciding it was time for him to return to the agency.

* * *

"So it was a program Digimon made by a foreign military, huh?" Matayoshi frowned at Takumi's report. "I'm sorry I interrupted your conversation, then," he sighed. "Guess I gummed up the works real bad right when you'd won him over."

The redhead glumly nodded as he didn't look up from his gloved right hand. "I… couldn't save him…"

Kyoko brought her hand up to her chin as she studied her assistant. "Hmm…"

"Still, at least it put a stop to things," Matayoshi tried to positively point out, "even though it ended poorly…"

"It really did," Kyoko nodded. "Now it's become a serious situation."

"Hm?" Takumi looked up at her quizzically.

"I mean not only did you find a top secret military weapon, you also, well… destroyed it," she plainly stated. "If we're not careful here, this could turn into an international incident that even threatens our security treaty with that country."

"Just when Japan finally got them to move their bases, too…" Matayoshi sighed as he pulled his cap down over his eyes. "That deal could vanish into thin air because of this."

"Oh, but don't think any of this is your fault," Kyoko told the teen. "Even if it were to lead to World War III taking place, you shouldn't feel guilty."

"B-but I tried to…" Takumi opened his right hand and stared at the yellow circles on the palm of his glove.

Matayoshi began laughing. "Oh, Kyo-chan, if I didn't know you better, I'd think you were actually being serious."

Kyoko chuckled at the older detective. "Oh, but I really am. When am I not?" She paused when she noticed her assistant still frowning into his hand. "Anyway," she seriously told him, "lady luck must really take a shine to you. To tell you the truth, there was actually one other thing that flash of light could have been."

Takumi blinked at her in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"See, if it hadn't been a normal maser, but instead a phonon maser, you, ah, wouldn't be standing here talking to us right now." Kyoko noticed the boy staring at her in shock. "I detected fluctuations in the Digital Waves, which made me immediately determine that they were functioning as a maser substitute. However, there was also the possibility that instead of microwaves being substituted that it could have been ultrasonic waves. Rather than rely on photons, phonon masers, like the name implies, rely on amplified phonons, which makes their properties fundamentally different," she stated as she crossed her arms. "If you'd been facing a phonon maser back there, you probably wouldn't have been able to use it like a normal network line and Connect Jump. Now do you get how lucky you are?" she smirked.

"I… guess…" Takumi frowned as it didn't really make him feel any better about the situation.

"You did some great work out there today, kiddo," Matayoshi told him. "But that's what youth is for in the first place, so keep it up!" the man heartily laughed as he patted the boy's shoulder.

The teen let out a heavy sigh. "Sure…"

* * *

Takumi hesitated a bit before handing his completed report to Kyoko. The blonde woman frowned at him as the boy stared at the folder in his hand. Finally, her curiosity got the better of her. "Is there something else about the case you want to look into?"

"H-huh!?" The blue-eyed boy looked up at her in surprise before relaxing a bit. "N-no, but…" He frowned to himself. "I was just wondering… if I could use your desktop… I want to reconstitute the data I collected from the Tankmon I defeated."

The detective stared at him oddly. "Oh? Are you still worried about the weapon program?"

"I'm worried about the Digimon," Takumi's frown deepened.

"That does sound like something you'd say," she stated with a smirk. "Knowing you'd eventually request something like this, I already asked Mirei to analyze the data you salvaged."

"H-huh…?" Takumi stared at the detective with his mouth open. "Y-you did?"

"She told me she'll notify you of the Digimon's recovery once it is complete," Kyoko nodded and kindly smiled at the boy.

"That's… that's a relief," the boy happily sighed as he finally turned in his report. "Hm?" he blinked when he still noticed the detective studying him. "What is it, Kyoko-san?"

"The thing that makes you a very intriguing irregular is your soft-heartedness combined with your knack for pulling at the strings of fate. Besides your ability to Connect Jump into cyberspace, it looks like you can Connect Jump your way into others' fates… Or perhaps, that's a separate ability you have altogether?" She brought her hand up to her mouth. "The ability to connect to the Digital World," she chuckled, "As well as the ability to connect your fate to others, human or Digimon… Truly, you have a unique power. I wonder… if that is what led me to you in the first place."

The detective's assistant stared into her curious gaze and crookedly smiled at her. "What do you mean by that?"

Kyoko shook her head at him but her smirk never wavered. "I'm certain you already know, my dear Watson. After all, nobody else is better suited to be my assistant than you."

"Yeah… I know," Takumi chuckled. "Even without this body of mine, I know," he nodded. "That's why I can never doubt you."

"And why I have absolute faith in your abilities," Kyoko nodded back. She fondly smiled at the bright-eyed boy before accepting his completed case file. "On that note, I agree with what Detective Matayoshi said before, so it's back to work for you, kiddo! Your next task awaits you."

The redhead straightened up and saluted her. "Understood!"

* * *

~BROADWAY~FOOD~TOUR~

Kyoko frowned as she set her coffee down. Her newest concoction was missing something but she couldn't tell what. "Ketchup? Mayonnaise? Wasabi?" She shook her head as none of those came close to what it was the coffee was lacking.

Sensing she was getting closer to another round of experimenting again, Takumi quickly saved his report and glanced at the wall clock. "Well, it's just about time for my lunch break, so I'll be going now, Kyoko-san," he quickly stated.

"Lunch?" the woman blinked at him before it finally came to her. "Chinese…" A smile appeared on her face as she gazed at her tense assistant. "That's it. That's the flavor my coffee needs. There's a Chinese restaurant here in Nakano. A good assistant would go check it out."

"E-eh!?" Takumi frowned at her. He paused for a moment as it didn't sound so bad. "So you're saying… I get to write a report on the food for you?" He brightened up at that. "Well, if you insist…"

* * *

Takumi shook in anticipation as he stared at the Chinese restaurant. Despite the fact that he had been working in Broadway for months now, the boy had not once set foot inside any restaurant in the mall other than K-Café. Usually, Takumi was running around all over the rest of Tokyo to be able to enjoy a lunch break in Nakano. And if he did get a chance to properly utilize his break, Kyoko would immediately call him back with a new case, forcing the boy to skip out on eating altogether.

"It's not like I really need to eat with this body," the redhead muttered. "But… all the food I'm missing out on…" He chuckled at this rare chance to finally eat to his heart's content. "Even if it is for Kyoko-san's new outlandish coffee recipe, I'd say this is worth it!" He was just about to head inside when he noticed a woman standing outside the restaurant, longingly staring at the entrance.

"Ooh, this place looks nice!" she drooled. She continued staring at the Chinese restaurant for a while before noticing Takumi's gaze. "Ah! Who the hell are you!?"

"If you're hungry, just go inside," Takumi blinked at her as he placed his hands at his hips.

"Huh? If you want to eat, just go inside, did you say?" the woman crossed her arms. "You don't understand!" she shook her head. "A lady such as myself can't simply go into a place such as this unaccompanied!"

"Well, I suppose it _is_ more fun to eat out with friends," Takumi smirked at the restaurant.

"By the way, the other day I saw a girl left alone outside this place," the woman frowned. "She looked so lonely… She was fair-skinned and had black hair… She was looking at the display… Perhaps… Perhaps only I saw the girl…?" the woman mused before shaking her head.

"Hm?" The redhead frowned to himself as a certain friend of his came to mind. "Could it have been…?"

"Aaaaahh!" the woman let out a startled cry. "That girl? Was she a ghost!?"

Takumi knit his eyebrows together at that but sensed an incoming call. He quickly picked up when his Digivice began to ring. "Kyoko-san?"

"So, Takumi," the detective smirked at him, "how's the new body? Have you broken it in yet?"

"It's been nearly half a year," the half-cyber boy shrugged as he stared at his gloved hand. "It'd be a real problem if I wasn't used to it by now. Why do you ask?"

"While you were out having fun, we got another request for the Cyber Sleuth. It's quite a big, complex case," Kyoko chuckled at him. "Once you get back to the office, you can find the case on the white board."

"Eh!? But it's my lunch break…" Takumi sighed as he was going to have to go hungry again today. "Alright… I'm on my way."

* * *

 _Client: Undercover Eater_

 _Place: Broadway_

 _Details: I am an undercover eater for food reviews and I need someone to help me investigate something…_

"Eh…?" Takumi began drooling as he stared at the note.

"Takumi," Kyoko looked up at him. "I know it's out of the blue, but… Are you hungry right now?"

"You just pulled me from my lunch break, so yeah," the redhead nodded.

Kyoko crossed her arms and chuckled at his obvious answer. "Kids your age are always hungry! Actually, this case came from the Web. It's quite a strange one. We have a request from someone who ranks gourmet restaurants as a personal hobby. They would like you to go through Nakano and grade the gourmet restaurants here and report back to them." Kyoko smirked as her assistant's blue eyes began to gleam. "The fees and expenses have all been paid up front. I decided it wasn't a risk, so I took it on."

"Awesome!" Takumi bounced up and down. "Thanks, Kyoko-san! When can I start?"

"I have decided to entrust this case to 'you guys'," she nodded to him.

"Huh…?" the boy paused at that. He turned his body as the door behind him opened and his friends came in. "Eh!? Nokia? Arata?"

"Kyoko-san," Nokia brightly smiled, "is that Egg and Rice place really doing all-you-can-eat buffets now!?" she asked.

"Can I really eat for free, Kyoko-san?" Arata asked with a happy smile on his usually sour face.

"You both are joining me!?" Takumi asked them in surprise.

"Yes, it's a present from me to all you hungry little kids," Kyoko chuckled at the trio. "Please, try your best on this one."

"Alright! Food always tastes better with company!" Takumi cheered as he nodded to his boss. "Just leave this to us!"

Arata crossed his arms as the three teens left the agency. "So, the three restaurants we're going to are a Chinese restaurant, a sushi restaurant, and a teahouse."

"Wait…" Nokia frowned at him. "What about the Egg and Rice place?"

The older boy ignored her as he continued addressing Takumi. "It looks like each one of these places is in the Nakano building."

"Aww…" the girl complained. "What about the Egg and Rice place?"

"We can visit the places in any order," Arata nodded. "I'm starving. Let's just go!"

"Come on then," Takumi nodded as he started off for the Chinese restaurant.

Nokia frowned as she chased after the boys. "But… my Egg and Rice…"

* * *

Nokia frowned at the dingy restaurant. "Huh? What restaurant is this?" she asked. "This place is kind of run down… Actually," she shook her head in disgust, "it's falling apart. Actually, no," she crossed her arms, "it's a complete dump!"

"You must be blind…" Arata sighed at her as he put his hands into his pockets. "This place looks great! If it's been deteriorating it means it's been here for a long time, which means customers have been coming here for a long time which means it's good!" Nokia paused and considered his words before smiling again. "Great, let's go in!" Arata cried out. "Takumi, what are you having?"

As they took a seat, the redhead smiled as he brought a hand up to his mouth. "Hmm… what should I have? The Chahan looks good, but so does the Mapo Doufu," he thought aloud as he looked at the menu. His eyes widened as he spotted a special option. "Huh? Half a Chahan meal? Hmm… that way I could just have the parts of the Chahan I like the best… Okay, I'll go for that, then."

Takumi closed his eyes and took in a deep breath as the Chinese restaurant staff brought out their orders. "Half a Chahan and a Mapo Doufu. Here you are!"

The redhead opened his eyes after taking in the spicy scent of the tofu and smirked at his meal. "Wow, they give good-sized portions here… This was a good choice!" He brought a spoonful of the tofu dish up to his mouth and the fragrant spices tickled his nose. "Huh? That delicious smell… Ah, yes, it's the Sichuan pepper in the Mapo Doufu… mmm…" He closed his eyes and took a bite, savoring the taste. "Oh! The Sichuan pepper is making a beautiful harmony with the even more delicious star anise!" He opened his eyes and scooped up a bit of his fried rice. "I'm gonna try and put the Chahan in my mouth while the aftertaste of the Map Doufu is still there…"

Arata let out a satisfied sigh when they finished. "That was great! Ohh, that was delicious! Just like I thought," he nodded at the restaurant's entrance, "this place is amazing!"

"That was great!" Nokia agreed. "Crab omelet and egg Chahan with stir-fried mushroom and egg!"

Takumi nodded as he took their opinions and added them to his report. "Alright, hang on. Let me just take some more notes before we go."

Arata chuckled at the working sleuth as he decided to wait outside the restaurant. Nokia followed after the older boy but paused when she noticed a raven-haired girl staring at Takumi as he wrote his report. The teal-eyed girl curiously blinked at the shy girl. "Who are you?"

Yuuko tensed up when she noticed Nokia was staring at her. The quiet girl looked towards Takumi once more before quickly walking away.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Arata asked Nokia. "Come on. Let's go!"

"Uh, right," Nokia nodded as Takumi finally came out of the restaurant. They all headed towards the stairs as the girl let out an excited cry. "I'm coming, I'm coming! The sushi restaurant is next! SSSUUUUSSSSHHHHIIII!"

"What's up?" Arata frowned at her. "You seem tense."

"Because!" the girl cried. "It's a sushi restaurant where the food doesn't come 'round on a conveyor belt! I've never seen that before!"

"Awww," the older boy crossed his arms and teased her, "that's so sad!"

"Uh, what… what!?" Nokia glared at him. "Are… are you making fun of me now!? Have you ever been to a fancy sushi place?"

"Moving on…" the raven-haired boy cast his eyes away from her. "What do you want to eat?"

"Hmm…" Nokia wore a smile as she considered her order. "Well, I'm definitely going for the omelet!"

"Huh? The omelet?" Arata stared at her in disbelief. "Ugh… You don't get it at all!" he shook his head.

"Huh?" Nokia blinked at him.

"Is something wrong, Arata?" Takumi curiously asked the older boy.

"You know, egg was a dessert a long time ago," he told them with a frown. "If you eat something sweet like that, you'll ruin your fish! When you eat sushi, you should always start with white fish. The way the experts do it is they eat clean-tasting white fish first, then fattier fish, then sushi rolls."

"Ugh…" Nokia groaned. "That's so boooring!" she complained. "Jeez, no wonder you don't get any girls. You're such a nerd!"

"Uh, what?" Arata was a bit taken aback by her comment. "I… I wasn't going to…"

"Anyway, let's go inside!" Nokia smiled at the quiet boy at her side. "Takumi, what are you going to start with?"

"We'll see," the redhead replied as he headed inside first. He took a seat at the counter and thoughtfully closed his eyes. "Some people think they know everything about sushi and keep going on and on about it, but the best way to eat it is the way you like it." He opened his eyes and stared at all the different cuts of fish available. "Hmm… Still, I can't decide… At times like this, the best thing to do is to look at the chef's recommendations…" He quickly asked the chef behind the counter and smiled at the man's reply. "Oh, today's recommendation is squid? Okay, I'll start with that, then."

"Sure thing!" the chef nodded to the boy. "One squid, comin' right up!"

Takumi curiously watched as the staff worked. "Okay, they're putting the sushi on my plate… You certainly don't get this kind of treatment at a cheap conveyor belt sushi place…" he stated with a nod. "Now then…" he stared at the squid before him. He carefully picked up a piece with his chopsticks and studied it carefully. "Wow… it's plump, springy and thick… It really looks delicious!" He carefully reached for a soy sauce dispenser with his left hand. "I'll just put some soy sauce on it and pop it in my mouth…" he closed his eyes as he began slowly chewing. "Hmm… Oh, that's amazing! The squid is a little bland, but the al dente texture and the unique taste complement each other beautifully! Okay," the boy smiled as he opened his eyes, "now that I've worked up an appetite, the next one is…" he eagerly ordered more until Nokia and Arata had enough.

"That was delicious!" Nokia declared as Takumi quickly finished taking notes for his report. "Uff! I'm stuffed! That was absolutely delicious!"

"Mmmm…" Arata nodded in agreement. "So this is what an expensive sushi place is like…" he mused aloud.

"Huh?" the girl blinked at him. "You… You, you never knew what you were talking about, did you?" she teasingly asked him.

"Huh?" Arata frowned at her. He shook his head and glared at the younger girl. "Well at least I didn't just order fish eggs! Everything you've ordered so far is eggs! You're obsessed! Also, when you left the restaurant, you said 'Oaisou', didn't you?"

"I just wanted to try it out once…" Nokia chuckled. "Is that not right?"

Arata sighed at her. "Well, 'Oaisou' comes from the term 'aisou wo tsukasu'. It's used by the staff to talk to the customers, never the other way around."

Nokia blinked at the older teen before deciding to ignore him. She quickly turned towards Takumi and noticed he was busy writing. "Hey, Takumi, wouldn't it be best if you wrote the report?"

"I'm working on it right now," he nodded with a smile. "Don't worry about it."

"Cool, that's great!" Nokia smirked at him. "That way I can focus on the eating part!"

Takumi laughed at her simplicity. "Isn't this case just the best?"

Arata frowned as the girl continued to ignore him. "Hey… Don't just ignore me!" he scolded the two of them.

"Sorry, Arata," the Cyber Sleuth chuckled. "Let's go back downstairs. The teahouse is there."

The two others followed him to the teahouse across from the Chinese restaurant and Nokia blinked at the variety of dishes being offered. "Wow, this place sure does have a lot of options for a teahouse!"

Arata nodded in agreement as he stared at the pictures posted at the teahouse's entrance. "Curry, pancakes, salty mackerel set meal… Looks like this place serves all kinds of food," he noted. "So what are you having?" he asked the girl standing beside him.

"Hmm…" Nokia scanned the pictures once more before her eyes widened. "Ah! They have an egg set meal! Free second helping! This is the Egg and Rice place that Kyoko-san said had an all-you-can-eat buffet!" she brightened. "Aww, but they have a rice omelet meal as well!" Nokia smirked at the thought of the dish. "Mmmm… rice… omelet…!"

"All right, let's go inside," Arata nodded. "Takumi, what do you want to order?"

Takumi smiled as he brought his hands to his hips. "I'm not sure yet, but let's get seated." He led the way inside and took in the restaurant's atmosphere. "A teahouse? Cool, I like the retro feel of his place," he nodded. "The menu has so much on it… I really can't choose!" he smirked at all the different types of dishes. He paused when he spotted something interesting. "Huh? Neopolitan pasta." The redhead crossed his arms as he continued talking to himself. "Obviously the best pasta is from a pasta restaurant, but I like this place…" After a few seconds of deliberating, he nodded to himself. "Okay, I'll go for it!"

"Your Neapolitan, sir," the waiter set the pasta before him. "Here you go!"

The Cyber Sleuth smiled at the pasta's presentation. "Nice, bright red tomato sauce on thick spaghetti…" he stirred through the dish and nodded in satisfaction at the noodle's consistency. "Wow, this place really does good Neapolitan pasta! And look at the chopped sausage on top…" he poked a piece of it with his fork. "I can't resist!" Takumi carefully took a bite of both the sausage and pasta together. "Wow… After the taste of the tomato sauce is gone, the spice of the chili comes in strong. This is no kids' dish! Mmm…" he nodded in approval as he continued eating. "Not bad at all!" He paused as the waiter had placed small dish of grated parmesan off to the side. Takumi smiled as he decided now was the best time to apply the cheese. "Well, the thing about putting grated cheese on top is, some people put it on before they start, whereas I prefer to add it halfway through."

When they were finished, Nokia let out a satisfied sigh as she finally got her Egg and Rice plate. "That was delicious! Uff, I'm stuffed!"

"The price and taste are astonishingly good…" Arata stated as he crossed his arms. "The range of foods on the menu is very wide… Just what you'd expect from a Nakano restaurant," he nodded in approval.

"Yeah!" Nokia agreed. "Looks like this place has a lot of regulars!" she pointed out to the customers.

"Wow, you were really hungry today!" the older boy frowned at the tiny girl. "That's the first time I've ever seen one single human stomach take such a beating…"

Takumi laughed. "You're one to talk, Arata," the redhead shook his head. "The three of us went to three restaurants together back to back!" He patted his stomach and chuckled. "Is anyone up for a fourth?"

Arata and Nokia blinked at him in surprise. "You're still hungry!?" the older boy shook his head at him. "Don't you have work to do?"

The blue-eyed teen paused at that and looked down at his report. "I think I'm done with this report. I guess it's time to get it back to the office," he sighed in disappointment now that their eating spree was over.

* * *

"Did you write the report, Takumi?" Kyoko asked her assistant as they returned.

"Sure did!" Takumi brightly smiled.

"Yeah," Nokia smiled at the multi-page report Takumi had been working on. "The report is good but it's a pain in the ass to read…"

"While we were eating, this guy just kept talking to himself and never spoke a word to the rest of us…" Arata frowned at the younger boy.

"But the food was so good and I had to get every detail of it down!" Takumi cheerfully chuckled.

"Wow…" Kyoko raised an eyebrow at the essay her assistant managed to write in just a short amount of time. "I never thought you'd have such a talent for writing reports…"

"So, by the way," Nokia curiously crossed her arms, "who is this undercover tester client anyway?"

"They kept their true name hidden," Kyoko answered. "I only know their Web handle, so I don't actually know… And anyway," she sternly looked at the girl, "even if I knew, I have to keep that information confidential, so I couldn't say…"

"Whaaaat!?" Nokia frowned at the woman. "Oh, come on, Kyoko-san! I really want to know! This undercover examiner… Who the hell are they!?"

Takumi brought his hand up to his mouth thoughtfully. "I sure would like to meet them… This person sounds like they love food, but it's a bit sad knowing they didn't try the restaurants out themselves… Next time, I would like them to join me… I hope they send in another request!" the boy exclaimed with a smile.

"Oh, no matter how talented an assistant you are, it's useless investigating something so pointless," Kyoko reminded him. "Another case might come in. But in any case," she smiled at the three stuffed teens, "You must be ready to burst after all those restaurants. How about some coffee?"

Takumi tensed up at that. "N-no, we're fine!"

"Actually," Arata shrugged as he put his hands into his pockets, "coffee sounds good."

"Arata…!" the redhead shook his head at him.

"I'd like some too," Nokia nodded.

"Nokia…!" the Cyber Sleuth looked at her with wide, fearful eyes. "D-don't…!"

"We can try my new blend," Kyoko happily nodded to them. "Yuzukosho and sour cream!"

"What!?" Arata and Nokia cried out as uncertain frowns appeared on their faces. They looked towards Takumi and only saw their friend shaking his head at them for not heeding his warnings.

* * *

 **Final Notes:** So Tankmon joins the team, but I don't think I have Takumi using him much. He gets used a lot more later on when I give Takumi his Ultimates to work with. Mainly because I like Darkdramon... But that's not until way later... I mean, he barely uses his Clockmon but that could be because he's never fighting Vaccines... Takumi really is sympathetic to Digimon... It can't be helped since he understands their plight! That and I'm pretty sure his friends are just using him too, not that he minds. As for the food tour, that type of case is my favorite case because it's the most personality the game gives Takumi in one spot. He certainly knows exactly how he enjoys specific foods and his descriptions kinda make me hungry. Also... I'm still uncertain about how his body works. I'm guessing he doesn't need to eat or sleep as much as he used to since it's only half bound by reality. If anything, he can probably just survive on his own recovery supplies, right? I mean... his body is pretty convenient, but then again... it's also inconvenient too...


	13. No Stopping the Typhoon Girl

**Author's Notes:** So I ended up altering the title a bit from "No Stopping the Gale Girls"... First off, 'typhoon' was written in the original Japanese chapter title and I don't know why it's plural in English since I'm pretty sure it was only referring to Nokia. I mean, the chapter is split between Nokia and Arata, but I doubt Arata would want to be known as a "Gale Girl"... Typhoon suits Nokia since she starting now is when she learns how to whip up a storm of change within the world of hacking! Go for it, Nokia! But first... we begin with Kishibe Rie...

* * *

"And so…" Kishibe smiled as she began, "It has come to my attention that the acquisition of the Nile Corporation by Kamishiro Enterprise was illegal. Some rotten underlings did it on their own, with no permission. And although this was years ago…" she continued, "It was categorically the wrong decision and as such, I ceerrrtainly will not let it slide! With. That. Said…" she rested her pointer finger on her bottom lip as her smile grew wider, "Everyone who was even slightly involved, from the vice presidents on down to the delivery boys… I fired them all, each and every one!" she cheerily declared. "Moving. On… From here on out, I shall run the company personally, as its CEO. In a complete change from the old organization, I shall now control the company directly," she giggled. "Decision-making will be faster and we'll be able to provide a string of new services our customers demand. I'd like to start by taking the first step today. There's a very major project I've had in mind for a while now that I'd like to announce!" Behind her Yuuko frowned at the woman but remained silent as the new CEO of Kamishiro Enterprise continued her public announcement. "And. That. Is… A major update to EDEN, our flagship service and the cornerstone of people's lifestyles everywhere! With this new update, you'll be able to do that! And this! And maybe even those things!" she suggestively smiled. "The details are still. A. Secret! But we'll be hosting an early-access demo event for people to try these new EDEN updates as soon as possible! Please join us and experience for yourself our new sincerity, along with the new possibilities offered by EDEN!" she giggled.

Takumi clenched his teeth together as he had been watching Yuuko stand behind the crazy lady the entire time. The poor girl seemed upset but it was clear that she had been in no position to say anything. Takumi blinked though when Kyoko suddenly shut off the television.

"We got slammed," Matayoshi shook his head.

"Indeed," Kyoko sternly crossed her arms. "Our opponent is not to be underestimated. They really got the upper hand."

"Just what exactly happened?" Takumi asked as he turned around to face the detective sitting across from them.

"We were about to launch a raid on Kamishiro on the basis of the materials you obtained for us…" the old man crossed his arms, "when there was a lead in the form of an internal announcement at Kamishiro regarding the raid."

"So then…!?" Takumi knit his eyebrows together.

"In other words, they admitted their guilt before we could pursue any charges," Kyoko frowned.

"Can they really do that?" the boy asked in surprise.

"My superiors fell for it completely," Matayoshi sighed. "They put an end to the case by seizing the evidence we'd prepared and arresting a scapegoat."

"It's a matter of speculation," Kyoko nodded, "but I suspect that it was Kishibe who ordered that announcement."

"This press conference must be part of her cunning scheme as well," Matayoshi mused.

"But if Kishibe was involved with those dealings, how come she's not taking the fall?" Takumi asked.

"She probably figured that if she got it to the press first, she could avoid the apologies and explanations that would invariably come later," Kyoko brought her hand to her mouth. "But to couple that with announcements of her becoming the new CEO, as well as these new large-scale EDEN updates, all at the same time…"

"Give 'em the ol' razzle-dazzle," Matayoshi placed his hands into his pockets. "It's the Kishibe Show she's running and she knows it."

"On the other hand, we did get evidence proving a connection between Kishibe and the Demon hackers," Kyoko pointed out.

Takumi shook his head. "It's no good. Even Yuugo said so."

Matayoshi nodded at the teen. "All the accounts associated with the Demons have somehow been magically erased. It'll be tough to identify them in the real world."

"I see," Kyoko's frown deepened.

"I'm sorry, Kyo-chan," the detective lowered his gaze. "Just when we finally had Kamishiro by the tail, they got away."

"No need to apologize," the woman shook her head. "Even if we'd rushed into things earlier, it probably would have all turned out the same."

"Given it's Kishibe we're dealing with," Takumi sighed, "that actually seems pretty likely…" He tensed up as his Digivice let out a strange squeaking quack, notifying the teen of a new DigiLine message. "E-eh!?" the boy pulled it up as both adults in the room frowned at him.

 _From Nokia: URGENT!_ _At K-Café. What's up? COME SEE ME!_

"Great," Kyoko sighed at him. "Just when we were having a serious talk," she shook her head. "At least use a ringtone that doesn't suck all the dramatic tension out of the room."

"S-sorry…" Takumi apologized with a sheepish chuckle. "But it looks like Nokia needs me."

"Oh? A call from Shiramine Nokia?" Kyoko hid her smirk behind her hand. "Don't worry about us then. Just go."

"Are you sure?" Takumi asked with a tilt of his head. "What about Kishibe Rie?"

"You know the saying, 'Strike while the iron is hot'?" she asked him with a smile. Her assistant nodded before she continued. "There's nothing we can do for right now. Waiting for her to make the first move is a valid plan on our part."

"Alright," the redhead nodded as he stood up. "I understand. Please call me at once if you need anything, Kyoko-san," Takumi seriously told her before leaving.

After the boy left, Kyoko crossed her arms and closed her eyes to consider their current situation. Matayoshi frowned at her before making a suggestion. "We could put your assistant's skills to use." Kyoko remained silent though so the old detective crossed his arms and smiled. "I swear… that kid might be a godsend from your father, sent from the great hereafter."

The woman finally opened her eyes as she finally said something that had been on her mind for a while now. "Maybe rushing into things might not be the worst idea," she seriously stated. "Just a little bit."

"Hm?" Matayoshi gave her a questioning frown.

"There's no guarantee that half-cyber form will be able to sustain itself forever," she continued, thinking back to Takumi's increasing sensitivity to the Digital Waves, "and if Kamishiro finds out whose body it is at the hospital…"

"It won't end well, will it?"

"Or possibly…" Kyoko narrowed her eyes as she brought her hand up to her mouth.

"Huh?"

"It could be that they're leaving Takumi alone on purpose," she conjectured, "that they've known the truth for a while now." She frowned as she worriedly thought back to her soft-hearted assistant. "He's probably already realized it himself… I'm surprised he's taking this so well." Kyoko chuckled since she already knew why Takumi was being so patient. Her eyes went up to the frame hanging above the agency's window as she considered their next steps.

* * *

"Like I said!" Nokia glared at Arata. "The day of reckoning has come for hackers who want to use Digimon for evil purposes!"

Takumi finally arrived to the café and noticed Nokia was riled up about something. "Nokia, you called for me?"

"Oh, Takumi!" Nokia frowned at him. "You're late! Why are you always late like this?"

"I was in an important meeting with Kyoko-san," the redhead shrugged as he waved to Arata.

The older boy nodded to him in acknowledgement before turning back towards Nokia. "Back to what we were talking about," Arata shook his head at her. "What do you mean by 'day of reckoning' exactly?"

"Isn't it obvious!?" Nokia glared at him. "We'll take out the hackers and save the Digimon!"

"Hey, uh…" Arata frowned at the girl's ridiculous proposal. "Isn't that a bit high-handed?"

Nokia frowned to herself. "Losing to Fei earlier made it very apparent that I don't have the chops to do this on my own! That's why I'm planning on forming a Tamer group, to face off against those mean ol' hackers!"

"Tamer group?" the raven-haired boy blinked at her.

"You've both heard of a hacker team called 'Jude'?"

Takumi blinked as he noticed Arata slightly tensed up but the older boy quickly relaxed. "Jude?" Arata asked with a shrug. "They were a hacker team that was active a little while ago, right?"

"That's right, Arata! I should've figured you'd know your stuff," Nokia brightly flashed him a smile. "Although the members of Jude were hackers, they never did anything evil that would have bothered ordinary users or Digimon!"

"So what are you getting at?"

"We can form a powerful team by gathering hackers like former Jude members and other like-minded folks!" Nokia suggested. "We'll call ourselves Rebellions! And we'll protect Digimon and EDEN from evil hackers!" Arata stared at the girl, wondering if she was serious, but Nokia didn't seem to notice as she smiled at the boys. "Whaddya think? It's a totally great idea, right? Don't you think the name kicks butt?"

"More than the name itself," Takumi crookedly smiled at her, "are you really sure about this, Nokia? Someone needs to lead a hacker team, you know."

"Arata would be our leader, of course!" Nokia nodded. "There's no one else better for the job!"

"Arata…?" Takumi looked towards the seated teen.

"What?" the raven-haired boy scowled.

"Well, you're such an incredible hacker!" Nokia praised him. "You saved me that time I was attacked in Cron! Oh, and you'll be a part of it too, Takumi!" she turned towards the redhead. "It's okay! Don't worry! I'll make you the Vice Assistant Leader! Okay?"

"But I'm already a Cyber Sleuth…" Takumi nervously stated, not really wanting to commit himself to a hacker team.

"There, then it's decided!" Nokia stated, ignoring both teens' wishes. Arata closed his eyes and frowned to himself as he patiently put up with the hyper girl for a while longer. "Is 'Rebellions' a good name? We could also go with the 'Digimon Helpers' or DigiHelp for short!"

"No thanks," Arata finally spoke up, dashing her hopes before they rose any further.

"Eh?" Nokia paused and frowned at him. "Y-y-you won't do it? Wait, why not? How come?" She knit her eyebrows together before trying to put on a smile. "Oh! Is it because you don't like the word 'leader'? W-well, if that's the case, you can be the boss, or the captain, or whatever you prefer."

"I don't have time for your game of make-believe," the older boy sternly told her.

"G-g-g-game of make-believe!?" the girl asked with a hurt expression on her face.

"Arata…" Takumi frowned at the older boy. "Nokia seems pretty serious about this."

The raven-haired teen frowned at both redheads. "I'm busy searching for the cause of that crazy sickness. You can go do what you want," he told Nokia. "Hey, Takumi," Arata got up from his seat.

"What is it?"

"Is this really the best time for you to be hanging out with someone like her?"

Takumi's frown deepened. "Even if it isn't, it's not like I can just turn my back on her," the Cyber Sleuth replied.

Arata sighed as he expected that to be the soft-hearted boy's answer. "I need to talk to you. Come to Shinjuku later. I'll be waiting."

"Arata…" Takumi stepped out of the way as the older teen left without another word.

Nokia glared at the door as it closed. "What's up with that? This biiiites!" She shook her head as she decided to forget about the difficult boy. "Fine! He doesn't have to join us. We can do it without him! Right, Takumi?"

Takumi knit his eyebrows together as he took Arata's seat. "Nokia, you have to seriously think this through," he told her before deciding to help her sort out a few details she was obviously overlooking. "First, there's recruitment and membership to consider…"

* * *

Arata blinked when he noticed a raven-haired girl standing outside the café. "Huh?" The girl didn't seem to notice him staring, but Arata suddenly recognized her from somewhere. "Hey, you," he called out to her. "You're Kamishiro Yuuko, right?" Yuuko let out a surprised gasp as she turned to face him. Arata flashed her a smirk and placed his hands in his pockets as he wondered why she was here. "I heard about you from Takumi. What are you doing in a place like this?"

"Kyoko-san told me what was going on," Yuuko simply replied before looking around the hall. "She said Takumi-san would be here."

"Oh?" Arata's eyes widened in curiosity. "You have business with him?" He pointed at the café behind him. "He's in there," he stated before scowling, "with the loudmouth." He shook his head and tried to forget about Nokia and her ridiculous idea. "You had a very serious look on your face. What were you looking at?"

"Oh, nothing…" Yuuko looked away from the taller boy.

Arata raised an eyebrow at her before glancing at the flyer posted on the wall.

 _Monthly Special: Hamburger Set Menu! Huge Portions! Thick and Juicy Hamburgers! Extra Rice Free, Year-Round!_

The raven-haired boy stared at it with wide eyes. "That looks like something only Takumi would…" he frowned before looking back at Yuuko who was still avoiding his gaze. "Are you hungry?" The girl didn't reply as the two awkwardly stood in silence. "O-okay, then," Arata shrugged it off, deciding it was best to just leave it at that. "I'll see you around."

Yuuko watched the older boy walk away before glancing at the poster once more.

* * *

Nokia let out a frustrated yell. "I'm so angry! What is it with that hood-wearing punk? He must be thinking he's all that! Look at me! I'm such a nihilist! I'm so cool! I'm so hot!"

Takumi knit his eyebrows together as he was confused as to how she got back onto the topic of Arata. "N-nokia… calm down…!"

"Hmph!" the girl crossed her arms. "Well, whatevs! This means… It means… There's only one solution…" She gave Takumi a determined glare. "I'll be the leader!"

"EEEHHH!?" Takumi nearly slipped out of his seat.

"What's that look for?" Nokia frowned at him as she crossed her arms. "You don't have to be so shocked! Or dubious! Takumi! You'll help me recruit new members, yeah?"

"U-uh…"

"What!? Why that big, long pause there? You don't wanna? You don't want to? Now I'm reeaaally worried about the future!"

"Well, of course, I'll help," Takumi nodded. "But please tell me you have a realistic goal…"

The girl chuckled and nodded. "No need to worry! I've got a clear goal in all this!"

"And that is…?"

"I think Yuugo from Zaxon will understand what I'm saying a little better!" the excitable girl smiled. "Whatever will be, will be! Where there is a will, there is a way! Let's start out by trying to invite Yuugo."

"I don't think he'll join…" Takumi blinked as he remembered the light-haired boy's personal mission to preserve EDEN, whatever that really meant.

"Oh!" Nokia ignored him. "And we gotta keep Fei completely out of it!"

"Why?" Takumi frowned and tilted his head to the side.

"Well, she's kind of a creeper, isn't she?" Nokia frowned. "She talks funny and her style is a bit, uh…" She shook her head. "She's definitely a pervert! Pervert with a capital P!"

"Pervert," a voice from the entrance spoke up.

"Hm?" Takumi looked over towards the entrance of the café and blinked as he fell out of his seat. "Ah…! Yuuko-san…!"

Nokia looked over to see who it was. "Eh? Is she a friend of yours, Takumi?"

Yuuko watched as the red-haired boy picked himself up from the ground. "It seems you're in the middle of something," she stated. "I'll come back some other time."

"Oh no, we're not in the middle of anything!" Nokia cried as the other girl turned towards the door. "We're certainly not talking about perverts!" Nokia paused when she noticed Takumi was frowning at her.

The Cyber Sleuth shook his head as he tried taking a step towards his regular client. "Yuuko-san, do you have another case for me?"

"Huh?" Nokia blinked as she recognized that name from somewhere. "Whoa, wait up! Aren't you Kamishiro Yuuko-san? From Kamishiro Enterprise?"

Yuuko blinked at her. "Yes…"

"Whoa! She really is your friend, Takumi!" Nokia exclaimed to the boy.

"Well, I wouldn't go that far," Yuuko frowned at Takumi.

"She's a client," Takumi nodded in agreement.

"So hey, does that mean that we're friends, too?" Nokia asked.

"Eh!?" Yuuko looked at the girl in surprise

"I mean, right? The friend of a friend is a friend," Nokia smiled at the raven-haired teen. "That's been the way of things since like forever!"

"Yes… well…" the other girl looked away from them.

"Nokia," Takumi sighed, "We're not really—"

"I'm Shiramine Nokia!" Nokia introduced herself to Yuuko. "Call me Nokia! Or Akkino if you like! That was my nickname back in elementary school!"

"Um, I…" Yuuko's eyes darted towards Takumi.

"Can I call you Yuuko-chi?" the red-haired girl asked. "Oh, or 'Yuuko-rin' would be totally adorbs!"

"Nokia…!" Takumi shook his head before flashing Yuuko an apologetic smile. "Sorry, Yuuko-san… but ah… you have another case—?"

"I… I'll be back later!" Yuuko told him before hastily turning around and leaving the café.

"Yuuko-chi!" Nokia waved. "See you later!"

"Nokia…" Takumi sternly crossed his arms and frowned at his best friend. "Yuuko-san is an important client of mine. You can't just casually speak to people I have professional relationships with like that."

"But the funny thing about you is that you've got some pretty well-developed relationships considering how poorly developed your character is," Nokia smirked at him.

"Eh? Poorly developed?" the boy blinked at her.

"Anyway!" Nokia brightly smiled at him. "Let's go to Cron and find Yuugo!"

"Sorry, but I'd better see Kyoko-san first," Takumi stated, curious over whether Yuuko stopped by the office.

"What? You're going to report in at the agency?" Nokia nodded as she understood. "Roger that! Let's meet in Cron, then! Same place as before! Hurry up!"

* * *

"Well, that was fast!" Kyoko smiled at her assistant as he returned. "Are you done with your business with your friend?"

Takumi looked around the office but frowned when he noticed Yuuko wasn't there. "Sort of…? Nokia went on about starting a Rebellions group. She ended up upsetting Arata with that before freaking Yuuko-san out about a friend of a friend being a friend… And now Nokia and Arata both need my help with something."

"Rebellions?" the woman blinked at him. "The friend of a friend is a friend?" She crossed her arms and shook her head. "I have no idea what you're talking about, but you seem the type to be easily embroiled in trouble," she smirked at his soft-heartedness.

Her assistant crookedly smiled at that. "I guess…" He shook his head and stared at the empty sofa. "Is no one else here?"

"Hmm? What happened to Detective Matayoshi? He just went home a few minutes ago. We're going to wait for Kamishiro to make their next move. For now, you have some free time."

"So Yuuko-san didn't…?" Takumi frowned to himself. "Well… I guess she'll come back later anyways…"

Kyoko nodded and smirked at him. "Helping your friends might be a good use of your time right now. You never know how the wheels of fate will turn. After all, as they say, 'One good turn deserves another'."

"I'm pretty sure that's not how that saying goes," Takumi told her.

"Huh? 'One good turn deserves another'," she repeated herself. "You're saying I'm using that proverb wrong?"

"Maybe," the redhead shrugged. "You're not wrong, but I don't think the way you're using it is completely accurate either."

Kyoko chuckled at his boldness. "If that's what you think, go look up the correct meaning." She returned her attention to her computer as she got back to work. "But haven't Nokia-kun and Arata-kun called for you? It's fine to take a break from this, so go see what your friends need."

"Alright," Takumi shrugged. "It's rare for you to give me time off for this sort of thing anyways. I'm going now."

"Have a safe trip," the detective smiled as the boy Connect Jumped into the TV.

* * *

"Darn it, Takumi!" Nokia cried out as the Cyber Sleuth ran towards her. "You're late again! I knew you'd be late! What would you have done if some creeper had come on to me like before!?" she asked.

The redhead smiled at her and placed his hands on his hips. "No one's coming on to you," he chuckled.

"What? Hang on… What?" the girl frowned at him. "And just what do you mean by that?"

"Hey, Nokia," Gabumon tugged on her jacket. "What's a come on?"

"Oh, right… Um, that's when…" the girl took a moment to come up with an explanation for the Digimon. "It's this kind of, um, courtship ritual that some idiotic males do when they're after a sexy cute bod like mine."

"That's… completely wrong," Takumi crookedly smiled, "in more ways than one…"

"I'm not sure I quite get that," Gabumon frowned, "but it sounds pretty scary."

"Yes, it is scary," Nokia seriously frowned. "But if the guy is hot, I might be okay with it…"

"What are you talking about?" Yuugo asked as he happened to be passing through the area.

Takumi and Nokia whirled around to face him. "Whoa!" the girl cried in surprise. "Yuugo!" She brightened as she saw the legendary hacker. "What, ah, what a coincidence, running into you like this! What terrific luck I have!" Yuugo narrowed his eyes on her as he came closer. "It's like this chance encounter was destined to happen! I was just thinking I wanted to talk to you about something, too!" Nokia stated. The light-haired hacker knit his eyebrows together and frowned at the girl as she explained her motives to him.

When she was done, Yuugo looked away from the novice hacker. "I understand what you were saying."

"Good!" Nokia nodded.

"Zaxon solidarity has been more tepid lately," he stated.

"Good, good!" Nokia closed her eyes and grinned, happy the light-haired boy understood.

"A number of us are acting so brashly as to draw interest from other hacker teams," he continued.

"Good, good, good!" Nokia's smile grew wide.

"But don't you think pitting power against power will only result in unneeded chaos?" Yuugo asked her.

"Eh?" the girl's smile fell.

"As I thought…" Takumi seriously stared at Yuugo's calm expression.

Yuugo coolly looked towards Takumi and placed his right hand on his hip. "Someone needs to reunite the hackers of Cron," the Zaxon leader told them, "and restore EDEN to its former state of order. But that someone is not you, Nokia," he dismissed the girl. "It's me." He prepared to leave but Nokia called out to him.

"WHAAAAT!? H-hang on! Wait a sec!"

Yuugo didn't pause to give her a chance to speak as he walked away without looking back. Takumi crossed his arms as this was turning out exactly as he predicted. "Yeah… That's Yuugo of Zaxon for you…"

"What the what!?" Nokia shook her head. "I'm completely lost! But I CAN do it! Can't I, Takumi!?" she turned to her friend.

Suddenly put on the spot, Takumi averted his gaze and scratched his cheek. "W-well…"

She quickly screamed at his response. "Now I'm totally desperate! This is the pits! I'll just go around Cron soliciting any and all hackers I happen to come across! Then I'll have, like, a buttload of hackers with me and we'll beat the others at their own game!"

"But that's exactly what Yuugo was—"

Nokia raised her fist into the air and let out a battle cry. "Follow in Akkino's footsteps, folks! Follow me!" She ran off with Agumon and Gabumon in tow before Takumi could stop her.

The boy took in a deep breath before sighing. "I'd better come along in case something _does_ happen… Which it will… I'm certain of it."

"Awwriiiight!" Nokia declared. "I'm off to get me some Tamers! Step one: raiding the Zaxon and Demon hideouts! The Demons broke up, so they don't have anything better to do. And I bet there're some freelance Tamers in the Zaxon forum, too! Time to roll out!"

* * *

A stray hacker in the Zaxon forum frowned at the two redheads that came up to him. "Trying to recruit hackers, huh?" he asked. "Sounds like what the Demons were doing," he shrugged.

"No way!" Nokia frowned. "Don't lump me in with those jerks. This is completely different! I mean, for starters, that went like that because of that! And then what else could you do but this, geez! Get it!?"

"Not one bit," the boy shook his head. He looked over towards Takumi who was sighing at the girl's nonsensical explanation. "Hey, you explain."

"Our aims are different," Takumi told him. "We're trying unit hackers to become Tamers for the Digimon."

"Huh… That's actually kind of cool," the hacker smirked at that. "In that case," he nodded to Nokia, "maybe I should be asking you if you'll take me as an ally… Leader."

"No prob!" Nokia grinned. "See, since I gave you such a good explanation, it's pretty easy to understand!"

"Let's make this a great team," the newly recruited hacker nodded.

Takumi chuckled as they started for the Demons' hideout next. Seeing a few hackers here and there, he quickly approached a capped boy and asked him about joining Rebellions. "A Tamer group?" the hacker blinked at him. "Sounds like a pretty weird team. I don't have any strong feelings either way about joining, but… I wonder what my buddy would think."

"Well," Nokia smiled, "I think you and your friend should both join! Where are they?"

"Uhh," the boy looked around, "probably somewhere around here…"

"Got it!" the girl nodded. "I'm gonna go ask them, then! C'mon, Takumi!" She giggled as they started off towards another hacker milling about. "If this all goes well, I get two members in one fell swoop! Yeah, I rock at this!

"Okay, but aren't I the one doing most of the work?" Takumi jokingly asked, only to have her ignore him as she approached another stray hacker.

"Okay, buddy," Nokia smirked at the boy. "I like the cut of your jib. What say you join us? We're gathering people to form a hacker group!"

"Making a hacker group, eh? That's a big accomplishment," the boy nodded. "But rather than assume you're just as accomplished, I'll see for myself just how strong you are."

"Nokia!" Takumi quickly pulled her aside as the hacker suddenly summoned his Digimon on her. The Cyber Sleuth activated his Digivice too before sending his team forward. "Perfect Virus Nanomon and Adult Vaccine Kabuterimon… Rapidmon, Andromon, and Lilimon! Go!"

Agumon and Gabumon frowned as they quickly jumped into the battle too. "Baby Flame!" Agumon cried as he tried attacking the Nanomon.

"Petit Fire!" Gabumon roared at the Kabuterimon.

"Plug Bomb!" the small robot Perfect cried as he fired bombs from his fingers.

Andromon quickly countered the attack with his Spiral Sword as Rapidmon circled the small Digimon. The cyborg poodle finally pointed his arm cannon at Nanomon before firing. "Rapid Fire!"

Gabumon jumped towards the Kabuterimon, ramming his horn into the giant bug. "Little Horn!"

Lilimon giggled as she followed up with her own attack. "Flower Cannon!"

Takumi let out a relieved sigh as the battle quickly came to an end. "Good job, everyone."

"Hm," the hacker nodded at the two in approval. "So you're more than just talk. Okay, I'll tag along. Nice to meet you, Leader," he shook Nokia's hand.

"Same to you!" the girl grinned. "Let's get even stronger together!"

"You're pretty strong as it is," the hacker smirked.

Nokia nodded to him before spotting a boy in the back of the hideout. "Hellooooo! You!" she called out to him. "Yes, you, what're you doing?" she asked as she approached him. "I'm starting a new hacker team! I just know you're interested, right?"

"A new hacker team?" the boy frowned at her. "Why?

"To become closer to Digimon!" the girl nodded as she answered. "And to stop evil hackers! That's why I'm forming—Rebellions!"

"Huh… Sounds interesting," the boy nodded. "Fine, I'll help you."

"Really?" Nokia's eyes widened at how easy that was. "Yesss! Ally count—ding!—plus one! This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship!"

"Some of the guys I hang out with might be interested, too," the boy shrugged. "You should ask around."

"You mean that guy by the entrance?" Takumi asked, turning around. "Alright then." He returned to the first hacker and nodded to him. "Your friend ended up saying yes."

"Oh, so my buddy joined your team?" the hacker smiled. "Then sure, I'll join, too."

Nokia nodded in satisfaction before turning towards Takumi. "I think that's enough members for now. I mean, look at us. We look like a proper team! Hell yeah, Operation: Get Members—great success!"

* * *

Nokia gathered her new team at Galacta Park before letting out a triumphant yell. "I did it! This ought to be enough! Today marks the formation of Akkino's Rebellions! Okaaaay! Now we can protect Digimon from mean ol' hackers!" She raised her fist into the air as Agumon began jumping up and down to cheer her on. "Everybody, follow me! Rebellions, fight on!"

Takumi watched as the four boys ran after her into Cron. "Hm…"

"Where…" a voice asked from behind him, "is she going, I wonder?"

"No idea," the redhead shook his head. He jumped in surprise when he realized he was speaking to the legendary leader of Zaxon. "Y-yuugo…!?"

"What's the matter?" the light-haired boy asked. "You look awfully surprised. Did you think I was a ghost again?" he smiled.

"No, that wasn't it," Takumi shook his head. "It's just… I didn't expect you to stick around after Nokia spoke with you."

"If…" Yuugo worriedly brought hand up to his mouth to hide his concerned frown. "If she happens to face off against truly evil hackers, I want you to step in and protect her."

"You're awfully worried about her," Takumi noted, tilting his head to the side.

"I can't bring myself to let her put herself in any real danger in her zeal to protect Digimon," Yuugo explained. "Moreover… I don't want to see EDEN claim any more victims," he nodded to Takumi.

"Yuugo…?" Takumi frowned as he sensed the legendary hacker was referring to EDEN Syndrome. Sadness filled the redhead as he stared down at his own body. He paused when something about the Zaxon leader's avatar resonated with him. "Hm?" Looking up towards Yuugo, Takumi thought he saw a glimpse of his ghostly lookalike. "Yuugo… are you really…?"

"We'll meet again," Yuugo quickly turned away from the Cyber Sleuth.

Despite the Zaxon leader's adamant avoidance of interrogation of any sort, Takumi let him leave as he crossed his arms. "You really are too kind," he smirked to himself. "People like us can't help but try to do what we can, but you shouldn't try to do it alone…" Takumi shook his head as he remembered he had another friend expecting him. "Arata said to meet him in Shinjuku… I hope he hasn't been waiting too long."

* * *

"Hey, you're late," Arata smirked at Takumi when the redhead finally arrived. "Well, I knew you'd come. By the way… Is Nokia okay?"

"Yeah, she's fine," Takumi smiled. "But if you're so concerned about her, you should check up on her yourself, Arata."

"Whatever," the older boy frowned at him as he tucked his hands into his pockets. "You should learn to mind your own business. When all's said and done, people with a half-baked sense of justice and a superficial sense of responsibility are the worst."

Takumi frowned at the raven-haired hacker. "What do you mean?"

Arata shook his head and hid his frown behind the collar of his jacket. "And for her trying to be leader…" he closed his eyes and sighed, "She knows nothing about bearing responsibility."

"I'm sure she'll learn once she sees how difficult it will be," Takumi stated. "I believe in her earnestness and willingness to try."

"But never mind that for now," Arata quickly changed subjects, "I wanted to talk to you about that Suedou guy."

The redhead narrowed his eyes. "Why?"

"You remember him, right?" Arata crossed his arms. "The strange Kamishiro researcher who was studying mysterious phenomena? There was something he said that's been bothering me. Actually, I retraced our steps and saw him again the other day…"

Takumi seriously studied Arata's face. "What happened?" he asked before patiently listening to the older boy's recount of the encounter.

* * *

Suedou chuckled to himself. "It really isn't very polite to follow someone, you know," he said before turning around to face the curious boy. "I suppose this is payback for the other day, Sanada Arata-san."

Arata chuckled at the man before smirking. "You caught me."

"Is there something I can do for you?" the man asked.

"Yeah," the boy seriously nodded. "You said something before that bothers me. I wanted to know more about your investigations, too. Think I could take a peek?"

"My, your attitude is so splendidly cynical," Suedou giggled. "And you harbor such an interest in my work, too!"

"I want you to tell me everything you know," Arata nodded, placing his hands into his pockets. "About EDEN Syndrome, the Eaters…"

"I will, of course, share whatever I know. It must have been fate that brought us together here!" the eccentric man stated before sharing his research with the boy.

When he was done, Arata crossed his arms. "If, before logging out from EDEN, your mental data is destroyed by an Eater, you lose the ability to wake back up," he summarized. "I see. So that's the reason behind this bizarre sickness?"

"Indeed," Suedou nodded. "Although that is still just a hypothesis," he smirked. "But to think that logging in to EDEN could have an impact on the physical body in the real world! Don't you find that fascinating?" he chuckled.

"And?" Arata pressed him even further. "How is the syndrome cured?"

"That, unfortunately, I do not know," Suedou shook his head, "Yet. I do have something interesting on Digital Shifts, though."

"Don't keep me hanging here!" Arata narrowed his eyes.

"We've identified a pattern in Digital Wave abnormalities that trigger the Digital Shifts. There's always a certain amount of external interference immediately prior to a Digital Shift. After that, the Digital Wave increases in bandwidth and the Digital Shift happens."

"Interference?"

"Yes!" the scientist nodded. "Which means… Someone or something is controlling these Digital Shifts," the man wore a wide smirk. "That's one conclusion we can reach! Well, that's also nothing more than conjecture, actually."

Arata crossed his arms and frowned. "Someone's intentionally causing Digital Shifts?"

"If you're interested, why not do some more research?" Suedou asked. "A study into what exactly is controlling the Digital Shifts. But I have to ask," the man curiously stared at the teen. "Why are you so interested in the Eaters and EDEN Syndrome?"

The raven-haired boy narrowed his gaze again but didn't answer the man.

* * *

"So why are you looking into this, Arata?" Takumi asked. "Are you still worried about what happened to Nishino-san?"

Arata wore a small smile as that was a part of it. "I just really want to know what the cause of this bizarre illness is. I wonder if there are any clues around here. I want to try and search the area." He studied Takumi's serious expression and knew the redhead was also interested in EDEN Syndrome. "And for you, the ship has already set sail, no? Come on. Give me a hand."

"Alright," Takumi nodded and smiled at the older boy.

"Because we gotta!" Arata nodded. "Okay, let's go!"

Both boys ran around Shinjuku, searching for a sign of a Digital Shift before Takumi noticed something strange with the EDEN access point. He paused and stared at the flickering terminal before detecting the faintest trace of a distortion. "H-huh…?"

"Huh? What's wrong?" Arata blinked at the younger boy. "Why the sudden investigation of an EDEN spot?"

"I can feel it connecting to a special network…" Takumi absently said aloud as he considered what to do with this discovery.

"What? You detected a special network?" Arata frowned at the boy's answer. "Apart from the connections to EDEN?" He shook his head as Takumi wasn't making any sense. "Hey, hold up, what are you talking ab—?" Not wanting to lose the connection, Takumi held up his right hand to the terminal and performed a Connect Jump. Arata blinked as the redhead suddenly disappeared into the access point. "Huh!?" He quickly looked around for his friend in confusion. "Gone, without a trace! Whoa, whoa, whoa! What in the hell is going on!? Where in the hell…?" He frowned to himself as this was no time for him to panic.

* * *

"Where am I?" Takumi frowned as he looked around the digital network. "This is no ordinary network," he stated as he managed to get a feel for the road ahead of him. "It's much, much bigger and more expansive. Are these… rapids in the Digital Wave!?" He shook his head as the best way for him to get answers would be to travel the network itself.

When he emerged on the other side of the network, he looked around before establishing he was in Asakusa. He was about to call Kyoko but his Digivice began to ring.

Arata let out a relieved sigh when he saw Takumi show up on his screen. "Aha! I finally got through. What happened just now?" he asked the teen. "What the hell did you do!?"

"It'll take a while to explain, but it looks like I'm in Asakusa," Takumi told him.

"Uh, anyway, I'm headed your way now!" Arata shook his head. "I want to hear everything about what happened!"

* * *

Arata crossed his arms when Takumi finished explaining it to him. "I see. So you have EDEN Syndrome, too. You were devoured by an Eater. So Suedou's theory was right. And your Connect Jump ability… You can do that because your current body is…" Arata stopped speaking and looked away. "What I mean is…"

Takumi blinked at the older boy. "What is it?" he asked with a tilt of his head.

"Sorry!" the raven-haired teen apologized. "I should never have left you behind like that!"

Takumi laughed at that. "It's fine, Arata. I was more concerned about you and Nokia making it out and I'm more or less okay."

"Don't worry about it?" Arata frowned at the soft-hearted redhead. "You really are… too kind." He chuckled to himself as he now understood why Takumi was involved with the detective agency and Suedou's research. "Well, I guess that's that. We have yet another reason to investigate EDEN Syndrome. Let's expose the truth of this story. So we can get your body back, too," he nodded.

"Right!" Takumi nodded but he suddenly tensed up as he sensed a massive distortion in the Digital Wave around them. "Ah!"

"Huh? What's wrong?" Arata blinked at the Cyber Sleuth. "Did someth—?" He winced as the area suddenly warped. "This… This is…" Arata frowned at the appearance of the labyrinth. "So the phenomenon we're investigating just so happens to occur right where we've wound up? That's too perfect to be mere coincidence. Jeez!" the older boy straightened up to regain his composure. "This keeps catching me off guard! Hey, you're coming too, right?" he asked Takumi.

"Of course!" the redhead smirked.

Arata chuckled at his obvious response. "Good, 'cause we have a clear target now!" Both boys prepared their Digivices. "Okay, let's go!" They started into the labyrinth together and took a moment to get used to the new scene. Arata smirked as he crossed his arms. "It never ceases to amaze me, the sight of the Digital World, where the real and electronic intersect. This place looks like it always did before, like a dive without an exit. So all we have to do is take out that monster and change everything back to normal."

* * *

Takumi and Arata paused when they noticed the faint image of the ghost boy ahead of them. Arata crossed his arms and frowned. "That was… That was the Ghost of the Pale Boy that we saw earlier! So if the previous pattern holds… That monster must be nearby, right?"

Takumi nodded as he could feel the Eater was close. "Yeah…"

"Huh!?" Arata paused when he sensed people behind him. Both teens turned around to see a curious group of adults following them. "Hey! Hey, what are you guys doing?"

"Um…" a man in a suit began. "W-we thought if we followed you we'd find the exit…"

"I already told you! I don't need a whole crew of tagalongs following after me!" Arata scowled at them.

"Whoa," the man blinked at the thing behind them. "What's that!?"

"An Eater!" Takumi prepared for a battle.

"Heh, just as I expected," Arata smirked. "Here it comes." He blinked when the Eater ignored them though. "What?" He gasped as the Eater wandered towards the group of people around them. "Hang on… Seriously? What is that thing doing?"

"Arata! We need to stop it!" Takumi cried. He was about to send his Digimon forward but the Eater continued swiping its tentacle at the random bystanders before it began to glow in a strange light. Soon, the nautilus shell took on a more humanoid shape.

"So it transformed after devouring a person?" Arata frowned. "Takumi! Keep your guard up! There's a theory that it's stronger after transforming!"

"Right!" the Cyber Sleuth nodded as he called out to his Digimon. "Let's go!"

"Rapid Fire!" Rapidmon quickly circled the Eater and fired at it.

The Eater reeled back a bit but Takumi frowned as he noticed this form of the Eater was a lot sturdier than before. It began charging its data before stretching his arm out towards the aerial Digimon. "Look out for its Melt Processor attack!" Takumi quickly cried out as Rapidmon narrowly dodged the Eater's arm.

"Chrysalimon! Go!" Arata called out to his Digimon. "Data Crusher!"

The purple Digimon shot his tentacles at the Eater. The Eater turned towards the Adult Digimon before the two attacked each other from afar. Takumi used this chance to have his three Digimon pelt the Eater with attacks.

"Flower Cannon!"

"Gatling Missile!"

The Eater faltered a bit but charged its data again before attacking. Arata jumped back as Chrysalimon tackled into the Eaters arm, but the hacker noticed something strange about the Eater. "Hey, Takumi! It's guard drops each time he charges up! Let's hurry up and take it out!"

"Right!" Takumi nodded as the Eater charged up again. "Okay, now! Xros Combo!"

"Data Crusher!"

"Gatling Missile!"

"Flower Cannon!"

"Rapid Fire!"

The Eater convulsed as it began eating itself from the inside out before vanishing in a spew of dark smoke. Arata crossed his arms as he stared at the point the monster once stood. "It really was as strong as theorized after all," he stated with a nod. "Huh!?" his eyes widened as the labyrinth around them returned to normal.

Takumi and Arata took a look at their surroundings before the Cyber Sleuth let out a relieved sigh. "The labyrinth's gone."

"Whew… So taking out the Eater makes everything go back to normal, same as always," Arata nodded. "That's a relief! But still," he shook his head and looked towards the people collapsed on the street. "We took down that monster, but something is still controlling the strange phenomenon and we don't know what. Same goes with that syndrome. We didn't get any new info."

"Oh-ho!" a voice called out. "Then that means…"

Takumi frowned as he and Arata turned to face the man approaching him. "Suedou," the redhead suspiciously glared at the man.

"You!" Arata blinked at him in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"I came when I detected the Digital Shift!" Suedou explained. "Were the two of you caught up in it, perchance?" he asked, while staring at Takumi.

"Yeah," the redhead curtly nodded.

"I see. Well then, why didn't you say anything?" the man asked him. "That's not the sort of thing to keep mum about!" Takumi clenched his fist as there was no way he was going to share any information with this man. Either Suedou didn't notice the boy's hostility or ignored it because he continued questioning both teens. "And? Was there something new this time around?"

"Ah, yeah," Arata nodded. "Well, it was powerful. So much so that the monster could transform after eating someone."

Suedou placed a hand on his forehead and chuckled. "That is very interesting indeed! That information fits into a new theory I am postulating!"

"A new theory?" Arata asked, placing his hands into his pockets and eager to hear more.

"It seems that an Eater changes its form bit by bit to reflect what it incorporates into itself," the man smirked. "By incorporating human data, this Eater was able to attain a form that was close to human. Could it be that the Eaters have come to find more simple digital data unsatisfying? It could be attempting to incorporate data from humans, which are organic life forms."

"Human data?" the raven-haired boy frowned. "What the hell for?"

"I don't know yet. Not for right now, at least," the scientist shrugged. "Thank you very much for the valuable information."

"Hey! Wait!" Arata called out to him before the man could leave.

"Ah, yes," Suedou nodded to the taller teen. "Things have been left unsaid. I know you're a big fan of mine. I find you rather agreeable, myself."

"What?" the older boy frowned at him. "What a creepy thing to say. No, I…"

"Your outlaw spirit, wanting to stay unencumbered," Suedou smirked at the kindred spirit. "Your rebellious streak, you desire to defy things greater than yourself… So many possibilities are open to you, Arata-san. Let us meet again. Very soon, I hope."

"Jeez, I couldn't get a word in edgewise," Arata glared at the man as he walked away. "And then he just up and disappears. There really is something fishy about him," he nodded to Takumi. "Is he really just interested in research?"

"You should be more careful around him, Arata," Takumi warned his friend.

"Okay, I've made up my mind," the older boy smirked as he crossed his arms.

"What is it?"

"I'm going to look into things until I know for sure what Suedou and Kamishiro are really all about," Arata nodded. He took a deep breath.

"Alright," Takumi nodded. "Do you have some sort of plan?"

"Hm? How am I going to look into them?" Arata's smirk grew. "By sneaking into Kamishiro Enterprise, of course."

"Eh!?" Takumi stared at the older teen in surprise.

The veteran hacker laughed. "It should be easy, right? As long as we use your Connect Jump and my hacking expertise!" he nodded. "Besides, we have connections, don't we?"

"Connections?"

"I need to think up a plan," Arata nodded. "I'll be in touch."

Takumi let him walk about as he considered the situation for himself. "Maybe it's best to leave it to Arata then… I'd better report back to the office in the meantime."

* * *

"You're awfully late, aren't you?" Kyoko chuckled as her assistant finally returned.

"Did something happen while I was out?" Takumi asked in alarm.

"No, no, it's fine," she reassured him. "It's not like there's been any real movement here."

"Maybe not here," Takumi crossed his arms.

"What? There's been movement?" She noticed the seriousness in the teen's eyes and smirked. "I knew I had it right. 'One good turn deserves another'. Give me the details on what happened." Takumi nodded as he gave her a full report on everything he did and watched as Kyoko suddenly brought her hand up to her chin. "Hmm… You should let Nokia-kun do as she wishes. She's not as thoughtless as she looks, or seems," the woman told him. "Her response clearly comes after a lot of careful thought. We have no right to stand in her way."

"Alright, but I'll still have to keep an eye on her," Takumi nodded. "What about Arata?"

"I think Arata-kun's got the right idea about sneaking into Kamishiro," the detective crossed her arms and smirked. "Let's wait on him to form our strategy." She chuckled as this was one less thing she had to work on herself. "Things have certainly gotten a bit more exciting, haven't they? You can't really help but get a rush from it!"

"If you say so," Takumi shrugged as he wondered where this would all lead.

* * *

 **Final Notes:** Suedou really is creepy... He probably means well, but still very creepy. And Arata is still trying to be cool. He's probably just as soft-hearted as Takumi, but it's a bit infuriating since he doesn't really act on it, even though he wants to. But that's just a part of his character, I suppose. One could say he's just being pragmatic, but... I don't think so. I seriously wonder sometimes what Yuuko wanted from Takumi when she visited the cafe, but I guess it wasn't that important. The main thing with Yuuko there is I guess introducing her to Nokia and Arata in the most awkward way for her as possible. Poor Yuuko... But the stage is now set for the main hacking teams of the game! I seriously think Takumi doesn't allow himself to join any hacker team because he's friends with too many people with a lot of different opinions. That and he's already helping each team through his job as a Cyber Sleuth. Can't go upsetting the balance of EDEN now...


	14. How a Cyber Sleuth Kills Time

**Author's Notes:** Oh boy... This pair of side cases... I find them a bit more random than normal, but oh well...

* * *

~LIVING~DOLL,~DEAD~PERSON~

"How is your mother doing?" Kyoko absently asked as Takumi typed out another report for her.

"She's fine," he responded with a shrug. "Still busy as usual, I suppose. Her most recent story was covering organ trafficking between Japan and the country she's staying in."

"Oh? What an interesting report that must have been," the detective smirked. "Did you tell her about any of the cases you've been working on?"

"Her story did remind me of the cases involving that occult club," Takumi looked up from his laptop. "She really likes stuff like that so I told her about what happened at Shibuya. She didn't believe me about the ghost trying to kill me though," he frowned. "She said I used to have strange nightmares when I was younger about strange black-and-white monsters trying to eat me." He blinked as that sounded really familiar, but he never recalled having such nightmares as a child. "Coming from a small over-imaginative boy, I guess it does sound rather far-fetched…"

"Speaking of which, it seems there's some sketchy poster on the second floor of Broadway," Kyoko mused. "Have you seen it?"

"Sketchy how?" the boy blinked.

"You'll know it when you see it," the detective smirked. "You should go check it out sometime."

"If you say so," Takumi shrugged.

* * *

Takumi crossed his arms and frowned at the strange poster on display by the card shop. A nearby young man spotted him staring and smiled at him. "Ah, I see you're interested in the sign too," the brunet nodded.

"Do you know something about it?" Takumi asked him.

The glasses-wearing college student shrugged. "The 'Super Ultra True Puppet'… It's quite the intriguing name, that's for sure. Like the name says, it's an exquisitely crafted doll made to look just like a real human being that you can buy online, or so I hear. Though calling it 'Super' and 'Ultra True' is a tad redundant," he chuckled. "They could have gotten the point across without using both terms.

"So it's an advertisement for a life-sized doll…?" the Cyber Sleuth's frown deepened at how strange the idea was.

"It's actually not that expensive. I'm thinking of saving up my money and buying one myself," the young man nodded. "And it's made by 'Jorogumo Co., Ltd.'. A nice, snappy name for a company, although there's a bit of a sketchy vibe to it, too."

"Jorogumo…?" Takumi tried to remember which mythical creature that was. "It was something to do with spiders, right?"

"Anyway," the young man studied the poster thoughtfully, "I wonder who the model behind this doll is, too, come to think of it…"

"Right… you do that…" Takumi backed away from the college student. He started back down the hall before his Digivice began to ring.

"Hey, a case has come in from Mei of the Inoden Occult Research Club," Kyoko notified him. "Drop by the office when you can, all right?"

"Understood," the boy nodded as he hurried down the stairs.

* * *

 _Client: Occult Research Club's Mei_

 _Place: Broadway_

 _Details: Have you heard of "Super Ultra True Puppets'? "We" ply our trade there…_

As soon as Takumi removed the note from the board, Mei and Lily from the Occult Research Club arrived. The president of the strange club frowned as she called out to the detective taking a seat at her usual sofa. "Detective Kuremiiii! You have to help us! You have to help us, please!"

"Mei, calm down!" Lily told her. "I'm sure she'll help us!"

"Tell me what's going on," Kyoko crossed her arms. "What's wrong? Given that this is business from the Occult Club, I take it we've got another supernatural case on our hands?"

"Yeah…" Mei frowned. "I mean… I mean, no…" She shook her head. "Probably. I don't think…" she wore an uncertain frown, "this has anything to do with the occult this time."

"Oh?" Kyoko curiously stared at the high school girls. "Then why all the big fuss?"

"Well…" Lily worriedly began, "there are apparently these 'dolls' being sold on the Internet that look just like me and Mei. I think those dolls are called 'Super Hyper Ultra Lookalikes' or something like that…"

"Eh!?" Takumi blinked at them.

"You must be referring to the 'Super Ultra True Puppets'," Kyoko nodded as she brought her hand up to her mouth. "I've heard rumors about them. All right, tell me more."

Mei nodded before continuing. "These dolls, their faces, their bodies… everything from top to bottom looks just like us. They're so accurate, it's creepy…"

"Aaaand, to make matters worse," Lily added, "they're being sold real cheap! You'd think they could go for at least a little more money on the market!"

"Uh… that's not really the problem here," her friend shook her head. "You get that, right?"

"But it still sucks!" Lily pointed out. "It makes me feel like they see me as some kind of cheap piece of junk!"

"I mean I find it weird, too," Mei nodded, "that your doll costs several thousand yen more than mine, but…"

"Wait, so you do care about the prices after—"

"I said it's not important!" Mei cut her off. "Anyway, these dolls that look just like us are being bought by otaku all over the place. And when I think about those guys are probably doing with, er, TO them…" she shuddered at the thoughts, "it just really creeps me out."

"Hmm…" Kyoko lifted her gaze towards Takumi. "You know, this reminds me of another incident. I wonder if this is connected to that."

"Eh?" Takumi blinked at her and tilted his head to the side.

"What kind of incident?" Lily asked.

"There's a really dicey-looking service out there that's called the 'Perfect Girl Project'," Kyoko told them. "You can use it to get a living doll made in the image of your 'ideal girl' and live the life you've always dreamed of. But, the police have been hearing about how owners of these dolls are going missing. I was just discussing it with Detective Matayoshi."

"Ah…" Takumi nodded at the suspicious similarities. "It sounds like they could be related to each other."

"Super Ultra True Puppets… and living dolls made in the images of people's dream girls…" Mei mused.

"I guess they sound like they could be related," Lily shrugged, "but are you sure there's really a connection?"

"That's the tough part to prove," Kyoko stated. "To make dolls that look so similar to how you two really are, it'd take having pretty specific data on your bodies. I imagine getting your hands on something like that isn't exactly easy…"

"Actually," Mei began, "I have an idea how they might have managed to pull it off. There's an 'LDC' machine in an arcade in Akihabara that I think might be suspicious…"

"Oh? 'LDC'…?" Kyoko blinked at her. "You don't mean 'Lustful Dream Chick', do you? They're certainly not one for subtlety if that's the case."

"No, no, not that!" Lily shook her head. "She means 'Living Doll Club'! That's what LDC stands for!"

"Right," Mei nodded. "It's a machine that scans all of your body and makes a 3D-printed figure of it. Our data could have somehow leaked out of that, I guess…"

"Hmm…" Kyoko thought it over. "I definitely can't deny the possibility."

"It's worth looking into," Takumi said, ready to begin.

"Then our next step is clear," the detective turned towards her assistant. "We need to head straight to Akihabara and gather information on this Living Doll Club machine. That'll be your job, Takumi. As for me, I'll see if I can dig up anything else regarding the Perfect Girl Project."

"Understood," he nodded.

* * *

"Huh? You… you want to talk to ME?" the unstable nerd blinked at Takumi. "Why? What is it?"

"Do you know anything about a Living Doll Club machine in the area?" the Cyber Sleuth asked.

"Ahh, Living Doll Club, is it?" The nerd turned towards the building across the street. "For a time there was this huge ad campaign about how it used the latest in 3D tech and whatnot… There was a Living Doll Club in the arcade down the way, wasn't there?"

"I see…" Takumi smiled at the boy before setting off. "Thanks for the information."

The teenager quickly crossed the street to head over to the arcade in question but on his way there he was stopped by a man in a business suit. "You there!" the man called out to the redhead. "I can tell from your body language you're frustrated and unhappy!"

"Frustrated and unhappy?" The blue-eyed teen blinked at him. "Me…?"

"Yeah, I'm talking about you!" the odd man nodded. "I know this is outta the blue, but I bet you're into beautiful woman, aren't you?"

"Eh?" Takumi brought his hand up to his mouth. "What's this about?"

"I'll have you know that I sell top-notch dolls of only the prettiest girls," the man boasted. "Maybe you've heard of them. They're called 'Super Ultra True Puppets'."

"Ah!" The Cyber Sleuth immediately snapped his head up at him.

"If you want, I can let you have one for cheap," the salesman smirked. "Go ahead. Check this one out for yourself!" He motioned towards the doll he had in the van he had parked nearby.

"E-eh!?" Takumi blinked at the doll since it looked like a perfect replica of Nokia. "That doll…!"

The man knowingly nodded and frowned at the figure. "Granted, this one's an ugly one that was made as an experiment and it hasn't sold well," he told the boy, "But you understand how real my dolls look now, right?"

"Well, I can't deny the accuracy," Takumi nodded.

"Well, if you're interested in having one of these for yourself now…" the man's smile grew, "I've got something even better, but it's a top-secret service. Nobody can know…" he said as a deep sinister chuckle emanated rumbled in his throat.

"What is it?" the Cyber Sleuth asked with a suspicious tilt of his head.

"Let me ask you," the man studied the vigorous youth, "how are you doing health-wise?"

"My health…?" Takumi nervously frowned. "Meh," he shrugged as he stared down at his half-cyber body. "It could be better, could be worse."

"Great to hear!" the odd man brightened at that. "Really, even if you weren't 100% perfect, you'd probably still be fine…"

"Huh? What do you mean?" the boy asked.

"I bet you're bored with how your day-to-day life is going," the man nodded. "Wouldn't you love to just throw it all away and spend it with the girl of your dreams? Doesn't that just sound fantastic?"

"Um…" the teen blankly stared at the man.

"Because with the 'Perfect Girl Project', I can offer you exactly that."

"Perfect Girl Project…!?"

The man smiled as he continued to sell the idea to Takumi. "With the Perfect Girl Project, you can have your ideal girl recreated and sent straight to your room as a living, breathing human being. There's just one condition you have to abide by if you use this service. Just one condition and you can be free from the tedium you've lived with up until now!"

"A condition…?"

The businessman laughed at the boy's curiosity. "I bet you're wondering just what that condition is? I understand," he nodded. "That's a fair question to ask. Tell you what," he smirked. "I'll let you in on that condition, free of charge." The man carefully looked around the street before lowering his voice. "The one condition is that once your dream girl has been sent to your room, you can never leave it for the rest of your life! Simple, right!?"

"Eh!?" Takumi blinked. "But how is that supposed to work?"

"Oh, you don't have to worry about survival," the man shook his head. "The girls take care of that for you. So what do you think? Not a bad deal, right?"

The redhead closed his eyes and thought it over. _Besides how obviously_ wrong _that proposal is, it looks like our suspicions were right about the Perfect Girl Project being related to the Super Ultra True Puppets. I can try to accept the man's offer and see where it takes me, but I'd have to get Kyoko-san to approve of the idea first considering it sounds extremely dangerous._ Takumi opened his eyes and frowned at the man. "It's a tempting offer, but…"

"That's okay," the odd man nodded in understanding. "Take all the time you need to think. Once you know you want one, just get in touch and I'll make it happen…" he laughed. "The Perfect Girl Project is a top secret service provided by Jorogumo Co. Ltd. If you're interested, just come talk to me…"

The teen nodded to him and quickly started towards his actual destination. "Alright," he muttered to himself. "I think I'll just go check out the LDC machine at the arcade." He soon spotted the machine quickly before deciding to make a call back to the office.

"How's your investigation into the LDC machine coming along?" Kyoko asked.

"I just found the machine," Takumi told her.

"Ah… so you're just about to get started on it," she nodded in approval.

"Before I do though, I need to tell you about some guy I just met. He seems to be a part of that Jorogumo Co., Ltd."

"Hmm? You encountered a suspicious man out by the LDC machine? That's good timing, because I'm detecting a faint Digital Noise signature close to where you're standing," she nodded. "You'd better take a close look at that arcade machine. I bet you'll find some clues about how these Super Ultra True Puppets are being made. As usual, this case is starting to take some weird turns, so be ready for anything in there."

Takumi nodded to her and quickly hung up. He looked back towards the man as he was soliciting another teenager, but the Cyber Sleuth decided to leave him for now. Looking back at the LDC machine, he took a deep breath. "It looks like I can Connect Jump into the LDC unit…" he said as he held out his right hand.

* * *

Takumi frowned as he noticed a spider-like Digimon deep inside the network. His Digivice quickly ran a scan on it and the Cyber Sleuth tensed up as he realized the Perfect-level Infermon was definitely not supposed to be here. The Infermon didn't notice him though as it scanned the machine's compiled data.

"I TAKE PEOPLE'S DATA. MAKE DOLLS FROM IT,"the Digimon cackled as it continued to work. "LOTS AND LOTS OF DOLLS. DOLLS THAT STEAL SOULS THEN PEOPLE BECOME DOLLS. THE DOLLS ARE LIFELIKE. THE PEOPLE ARE DEATHLIKE."

"Deathlike…?" Takumi knit his eyebrows together at that.

"HUH?" Finally noticing the boy, the Infermon turned to look at him. "WHO, WHAT ARE YOU? ANY INTERFERENCE MUST BE PUNISHED. ANY INTERFERENCE MUSTTT BEEE PUNISHEDDDD!" He opened his mouth and Takumi's eyes widened at the gun muzzle pointed at him. "HELL'S GRENADE!"

The Cyber Sleuth dodged out of the way as his Digimon appeared. Rapidmon immediately intercepted the attack to protect his tamer, weakening the blows with his triangular beam. "Golden Triangle!"

"Gatling Missile!" Andromon fired missiles at the spider but frowned when Infermon retracted all of its tentacles into its body, tightening its defenses.

Infermon reeled backwards and cackled as he rammed his entire being towards the Cyborg. "COCOON ATTACK!"

"Sun-Crescent Kick!" Lilimon's body glowed as she charged it up with solar energy before kicking their opponent away like a ball.

Rapidmon flew behind the immobile Digimon and slammed the Infermon into the ground before quickly finishing it off. "Rapid Fire!"

"Good work, everyone!" Takumi nodded to his team before something caught his eye. He knelt down and blinked at the strange data. "There's something on the ground…" The Cyber Sleuth held out his hand to scan it and blinked at the mysterious URL he just discovered. Looking around, Takumi didn't see anything else of importance so left the Digital Space. As soon as he emerged though, he saw the odd man staring at him in surprise.

"D-d-did you j-just come… out of the… out of the LDC machine?" the salesman asked, nervously eyeing the machine behind the Cyber Sleuth.

"What of it?" Takumi suspiciously asked back.

"Y-you're not with the cops or something, are you!?" the man tensed up. "Are you!?"

The redhead placed his hands on his hips and glared at the man. "Something like that! I'm a Cyber Sleuth, the cops' secret weapon!"

"Oh…" the man glared back and placed his right hand on his hip. "I didn't realize that was who I was hitting up… I must not be on top of things like I used to be. Well, I've made a good amount of money as it is… Maybe it's time to call it good enough for now."

"Just what are you up to?" Takumi asked.

"Don't bother trying to come after me!" the man smirked as he turned. "If there's one thing I'm still good at, it's running away! See you!"

As he took off, Takumi quickly started to go after him. "Hey! Get back here!" It didn't take long before the redhead to lose the suspicious man in the crowds of Akihabara though. With a sigh, Takumi decided it would be best to report this in to Kyoko before anything else happened.

* * *

"So the perpetrators behind this case are probably that salesman you met and a Digimon, working together…" Kyoko summarized as she crossed her arms.

"I managed to take out the Digimon," Takumi nodded, "but I'm sorry I let him escape."

"It's unfortunate he got away, but we'll live," she nodded to him. "As we suspected, those two probably used that LDC unit to gather up girls' data and then used it to make the Super Ultra True Puppets." The detective looked up when Mei and Lily entered the agency.

"Then does that mean you guys checked out the LDC unit in Akiba?" Lily asked.

"That probably means you have a good idea of who's behind our dolls then, right?" Mei added.

Kyoko nodded to them before smirking. "Don't get too excited. We didn't arrest the guy, but we've got him cornered. I doubt he'll try to pull something like this again anytime soon."

"I suppose we can let Detective Matayoshi and the actual police handle the rest," Takumi nodded.

"But the question still remains as to what's become of the Perfect Girl Project now…" Kyoko brought a hand up to her mouth. "Hmm… At the very least, we know each doll's looks are derived from a real person. The dolls' realism is then used to help sway potential candidates to join the project."

"But what is the Perfect Girl Project even really about in the first place?" Mei asked.

"I think Detective Kuremi mentioned that people who are a part of it have been disappearing, right?" Lily remembered.

"Indeed," Kyoko seriously nodded. "Takumi actually picked up some rather useful information about what's required of anybody who does join the project."

"W-what is it?" Lily nervously asked.

"Anybody who has their dream girl sent to their room can never leave it, ever," the detective answered. "I'm sure I don't need to explain why that's probably a bad deal."

"Of course," Takumi nodded. "But besides that, the man was asking about my health before he offered the deal to me." He blinked as he remembered something else. "Oh, and I also found this, Kyoko-san," he stated as he sent her the strange URL the Infermon dropped.

"Oh? What's this…?" Kyoko curiously studied it. "My, it's a URL left at the scene of the crime. This might come in handy. Takumi, I want you to go to that URL and check it out."

"Understood," her detective replied. He prepared to leave but Kyoko quickly placed a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

"But… don't worry about going too deep inside," she sternly stated, resulting in the boy glancing back at her in confusion. "We don't know what you'll find in there. It's very possible we could be dealing with something extremely dark and sinister."

Mei covered her mouth with both hands as she gasped. "Dark and…"

"Sinister?" Lily lowered her gaze to the floor.

"We're talking as grim as the stuff you look at for fun in your club…" the detective nodded. "Maybe even more so. Whatever's on the other side, it's not going to be pretty by any means."

Takumi paused for a moment and brought a hand up to his chin. "Alright, I understand, Kyoko-san," he nodded. "I'll be careful." He glanced at the two girls in the room and noticed they were absorbed in another conversation. While their attention was diverted, the redhead quickly took the chance to complete a Connect Jump straight into the television.

The blue-eyed boy didn't really know what to expect on the other side, but he blinked as he found himself in a locked EDEN room, designed to look like a bedroom. Taking a careful look around, he noticed he wasn't alone. There was another boy with dark brown hair there surrounded by multiple girls.

The dreaming guy blinked at Takumi in confusion. "Huh? Who are you?"

Seeing as the taller boy didn't seem to be a perpetrator, Takumi quickly introduced himself. "I'm Aiba Takumi, a Cyber Sleuth."

"A… Cyber Sleuth…?" the college student frowned at him. "Heh, man, this place sure is getting crowded now."

"Is this supposed to be your room?" Takumi guessed as he looked around the messy room.

"Yeah, of course it is," the boy nodded.

"So your room was replicated within EDEN," the redhead deduced as he continued to examine his surroundings.

"What's this about being inside EDEN?" The older boy laughed at that. "Stop joking around. This is clearly the real world! How could I be in cyberspace!?"

Takumi didn't answer as he stared at the girls, or rather dolls, also in the room. "So who are they?"

"Who are all these girls around me?" the young man smiled at them. "They're my dream girls… My dream girls as pure, pristine dolls…"

"So you're a part of the Perfect Girl Project?"

"Yep, this has all been made possible thanks to the Perfect Girl Project! You really know your stuff!" The boy shrugged as he flopped onto his messy bed. "As promised, in exchange for these dolls, I've stayed locked up inside my room. Life with these girls is the best! I couldn't be happier! They take care of everything I need… Really, I don't see any reason to ever leave this place anyway. It's perfect here!"

"You can't just stay here forever!" Takumi told him. "Don't you have friends or family? Doesn't anyone notice that you've been locked here in EDEN?"

"But this really is inside EDEN?" the boy blinked at him in confusion. He shook his head and laughed again. "Cut it out already with that, man! Are you sure you're not the one who's actually dreaming right now?"

"You're really missing the point here," Takumi stated as he worriedly knit his eyebrows together. He shook his head as he decided now was a good time to report back to Kyoko.

* * *

"Huh," Kyoko blinked at Takumi's description of what he had discovered, "All right then… So that URL led you to one of the victims of the Perfect Girl Project."

"Victim…?" Mei frowned at that. "What do you mean?"

"Remember, to join the project, you have to stay hold up inside your room for the rest of your life," Kyoko reminded them. "But in reality, he was lured into EDEN and now he's living with those girls there while he's actually unconscious."

"But that means…" Lily frowned at the implications.

"Right," the detective nodded. "The so-called 'life' he's leading with those girls in cyberspace is just one big lie. The whole thing's just a sad scam. Anybody who falls prey for it is unwittingly imprisoning themselves for life inside cyberspace, thinking they've never left the real world at all."

"That makes sense…" Mei lowered her gaze. "It also makes sense if you think about the name of the company behind it, Jorogumo…"

Takumi tilted his head to the side before his blue eyes widened. "Ah…! I remember now… The spider seductress!"

Mei nodded at him. "Jorogumo is a mythical spider who appears as a beautiful woman to attract men to her waterfall. They'd plunge in for her and die at her hands."

Kyoko chuckled at the girl's knowledge of the story. "I knew if there was anyone here who'd know about this, it'd be you, Mei. You really know your occult history."

"Okay, so I get all that," Lily began with a frown, "but why go to the trouble of locking victims up in their room and then imprisoning them in cyberspace?"

"I can think of a few good reasons," Takumi said as he stared down at his own half-digital body.

Kyoko nodded as she thoughtfully studied her assistant. "If somebody's stuck inside EDEN thinking they're still in the real world and don't log out, then… All that's left inside the locked rooms are living bodies… which could be used for any number of things."

"Like…" Mei brought her hands up to her mouth. "Like what?"

"According to police investigations, the victims' bodies are carried off by a third party and taken overseas to foreign countries."

"What?" Lily shook her head in disbelief. "Why would anyone do that?"

"A lot of the applicants are young and healthy. There are who knows how many people around the globe who'd want such fresh bodies," the detective gravely stated.

"So it's an organ trafficking operation!?" Takumi cried out as the two girls stared at the detective in alarm.

"That's…" Mei shook her head. "That's so horrible!"

"We don't know for sure that it's anything along those lines," Kyoko flashed the teenagers a reassuring smile. "It's just a theory right now."

Lily shivered. "Just thinking about it gives me real goosebumps…"

"Aaaaaaaanyway!" Mei tried to change the subject. "About that guy your assistant met a little while ago, what do you think happened to him?"

"It's hard to know for certain…" Kyoko honestly replied. "On the one hand, his body might already be lost forever… But, on the other hand, we might still have a shot at saving him." The woman smirked as her assistant immediately began fumbling with his Digivice. "We might as well see if we can still call out to him."

"Of course!" Takumi urgently nodded as he sent the boy a message. He gulped when he noticed Kyoko's smile disappeared.

"But we should be prepared for the worst…" she crossed her arms.

"Urgh…" Takumi frowned as he knew the chances for the boy he met were slim to none.

* * *

"Hmm?" the brunet blinked at his Digivice. "What's this?"

He reread the message Takumi sent to him. _"Please, you need to log out…"_

"Is this another of that kid's pranks?" He rolled his eyes and slipped his phone back into his pocket. "How many times do I have to tell you, buddy? I'm in the real world! I couldn't log out even if I wanted to! You must be pretty clueless if you think this could possibly be inside EDEN!" he laughed. After a while his laughter teetered off.

The boy stood in silence for a while as he actually considered Takumi's warning. He shrugged as he took out his Digivice again.

"Well, it couldn't hurt to try." He smirked at the idea of logging out of the real world. "I mean there's no way it'll work. That's not how it works in the real world. I mean, come on." He paused when a strange message appeared on his screen. "Huh? What am I…? What am I seeing here?" He frowned to himself as it didn't make sense. "I don't get it…"

 _"Error: Nowhere to log out…"_ The message continued to flash on his screen as a creeping chill ran down his spine.

* * *

"Takumi," Kyoko stared at her assistant in concern, "did you just come back from the hospital?"

"Yeah," the boy nodded. "I just wanted to make sure my body is still there…" he frowned. "I know the results of the case were unfortunate, but it did remind me of something important. I had almost forgotten why I became a Cyber Sleuth in the first place…"

"Oh?" the detective frowned at him.

"Maybe 'forgotten' is the wrong word," Takumi crossed his arms. "But I definitely did 'remember'… Or was it that I was 'awoken' from a dream? A dream where I thought this body was my actual self… Or maybe it is and I'm actually awake. That would make my physical body the dream…" The teen chuckled to himself as he began reciting a story. "Once, I dreamt I was a butterfly. I forgot myself and knew only my happiness as a butterfly. Soon, I awoke, and I was myself again. Did I dream that I was a butterfly? Or do I now dream that I am a man? Yet there is a distinction between myself and the butterfly. This is the transformation of the physical."

"Oh? Quoting Zhuangzi now, are we?" Kyoko raised her eyebrow at him, impressed he was actually keeping up with the readings she had assigned to him. "But it is as you say. The line between dreams and reality can be murky," the detective simply told him with a smile. "It's why I can't dismiss the possibility outright. Who are we to say we don't live in a dream?"

"Dream or not," Takumi shook his head, "it doesn't change the fact that we're here now. Even if this body turns out to be the dream, I need to do all I can with my power."

Kyoko chuckled in agreement. "And so the wheels of fate continue to turn," she nodded.

* * *

~RARE~COMIC~COLLECTION~

"It looks like Rebellions is doing well," Takumi notified Kyoko as he messaged his friend back on the DigiLine. "Nokia's recruiting as many Tamers as she can find to help her, so I guess I can relax a bit. I'm sure Arata will be relieved too, but I haven't heard from him since our little adventure at Asakusa."

"Detective Matayoshi says Arata-kun's been seen in Shinjuku a lot," Kyoko mused. "What's he up to?"

"He should still be making his infiltration plan," the Cyber Sleuth frowned. "Is he searching for clues there alone?"

* * *

"Arata!" Takumi called out to the tall boy staring at his Digivice.

"Hey!" Arata smirked as he lifted his head towards his friend. "What are you doing around here?"

"Kyoko-san asked for me to make my rounds around the city, looking for prospective clients," the redhead answered with a shrug. "I figured Shinjuku was a good place to start since she also wants me to check up on the labyrinth here."

"You're telling me the great Cyber Sleuth is just walking around looking for a job?" the raven-haired boy chuckled.

"Come on," Takumi crookedly smiled at him as he placed his hands on his hips. "Work is work."

Arata laughed at his friend. "Just joking with you. If you're free, do you wanna hang out?" He glanced back down at his Digivice. "Actually, this written challenge just came from some mysterious guy. It says, 'In my hand I am holding a very rare out-of-print edition of the comic _Bakuen Delete_. If you want it, accept the challenge'!"

"So… is this a case or something?" Takumi asked, bringing a hand up to his chin.

"Basically, this is a rare comic contest!" the older boy stated, excitement leaking into his voice. "What do you think? Interesting, right? We should do it together!"

"It sounds fun," the redhead nodded. "But, uh… what about work?"

"Ah, I know, I know!" the tall hacker smirked. "I'll send it to Kyoko-san as an official request! If she finds out we're slacking off work to go mess around… Kyoko-san's gonna explode!"

"Maybe…" Takumi crossed his arms and crookedly smiled.

"If you want the super rare comic, you have to accept the challenge, right?" Arata lightly elbowed the younger teen. "Sounds interesting, eh? Let's take part! I'll go put in the request."

* * *

 _Client: Sanada Arata_

 _Place: EDEN Community Area_

 _Details: A mysterious man has issued a challenge: a fight with rare comics at stake! Cyber Sleuth! I need your help!_

Takumi blinked as Kyoko didn't even question the strange case Arata submitted, but a case is a case, he supposed. Looking around the Community Area, he noticed Arata waving him over as he spoke with a boy with light brown hair.

"Oh, you're here at last," Arata smirked. "You're late!"

"Sorry…" Takumi chuckled as he scratched his cheek.

"Hey, is this your friend?" the brunet asked.

"Huh?" Arata turned towards the other boy and crossed his arms. "Ah, um… eh… that… I mean, this… this is… eh…"

Takumi raised an eyebrow at the older teen. "Yeah, I'm his friend," he ended up answering.

"Okay, so this is the guy you're doing the rare comic contest with this time?" the brunet asked. He studied Takumi for a while before shrugging. "Okay then. Do you best! Well, see ya!" He walked off, leaving the two boys alone.

"Takumi," Arata turned back towards the redhead. "So, I was telling you about the written challenge from the suspicious guy, right?" he seriously asked.

"Yeah," Takumi nodded.

"That suspicious guy is a rare comic collector," the raven-haired boy explained. "He brings participants in with the promise of rare comics and then gets them to answer fan questions he comes up with. All over EDEN there are contest organizers—so-called 'game masters' who ask the questions everyone has to answer. The way it works is that the first one to reach the rare comic collector will be presented with one of his best comics." Arata crossed his arms as a grave expression washed over his face. "You can't just buy a rare comic from the collector. Man, what I wouldn't do to get that rare comic… I'm literally salivating at the very thought!" He began trembling in anticipation. "We've gotta do it! We've gotta win! We need to get our hands on that rare comic!"

"What type of comic is it?" Takumi asked.

"Huh?" the older boy blinked at him. "You want to know what 'Bakuen Delete' is? It's a long story, but a good one," Arata smiled.

"Okay," the redhead shrugged.

"Right, so 'Bakuen Delete' or 'Bakudeli' is set in a turn-of-the-century dystopia. 'Bakuen' or 'Bomber Garden' is the scene of a wild hero-and-heroine adventure," Arata began as Takumi placed his hands on his hips to listen. "The hero is Hakku Shoukyo. He's the head of the student council, a brilliant genius and a senior at a private school called St. Erase. Not just that, but he's an incredible hacker!" Arata exclaimed, his blue eyes lighting up. "Aku, Soku, Delete! He's vowed never to kill. He destroys evil hackers all in the name of justice. At the start of the series he's a detective who can use hacking, but…"

"W-wait, Arata!" Takumi blinked at him. "Slow down!"

"Huh?" Arata frowned at the red-haired teen. "Are you even listening to me?"

"You were talking way too fast for me to keep up…" the younger boy mumbled.

"Well, I did tell you it was a long story…" he crossed his arms.

"No kidding…"

"Well, anyway, Bakuen Delete is now out of print," Arata shrugged. "This is an amazing chance to get the final volume of the comic, which is extremely rare."

"Why is out of print?"

"Huh?" the older boy blinked. "Well, that's a long story. Wanna hear it?"

"Okay, go for it!" Takumi shrugged.

"Well, it's just an overreaction," Arata shook his head. "From when it was published, harmful hackers started to pop up in EDEN and people feared the comic was to blame. Believe it or not, they suspected the author of being a hacker himself and he was arrested. After that it was recalled and went out of print."

"That's unfortunate…" Takumi thoughtfully scratched his cheek.

"It was always just a minor comic with a few fans," Arata continued. "the shops stopped stocking it three days before the arrest, making it an extremely rare comic. Now you can get the contents of the comic on the Web, but nothing beats the real deal…" he wistfully sighed. He noticed Takumi was staring off into space so crossed his arms. "Hey, are you even listening to me?"

"Well, of course!" Takumi replied. He paused as he considered something else. "Hey, do you know the guy who issued the challenge?"

"Huh? You want to know who this suspicious guy who issued the written challenge is?" Arata averted his gaze from the younger boy. "Well… Basically, ehm… you see… I… I guess nobody really knows to be honest!" he laughed.

"Really?" Takumi frowned at how strange the older boy was acting.

Arata nodded. "Okay, so this is the starting point. The game master must be around here somewhere…" he said, looking around. "Let's find the first game master and solve the first puzzle!"

"Alright," the Cyber Sleuth nodded. "Where do we start?"

Arata looked around and spotted a teenager wearing a grey cap nearby. "Oh! That should be the guy!"

The capped boy laughed as he spotted the pair approaching him. "You're also a participant in the contest, right?" he guessed. "Okay, so, answer the following question! Question! In which frame of which volume of the comic series did the main character's rival Ginda Ichinosuke first appear?"

Takumi blinked at the boy before closing his eyes and bringing his hand up to his chin. _I have no idea…_ The redhead decided to go for it anyways. "Volume 2, Frame 9," he tried.

"Oh, this is a difficult question for you?" Arata smirked. "Pfff, it's an easy one for me. The answer is 'Volume 43, Frame 2', right? It's the scene where General Asimov brings him to the classroom."

The game master laughed at Arata's answer. "Correct!"

Takumi raised an eyebrow towards his friend. "You know… I've never heard of 'Bakuen Delete' before today… Of course, I wouldn't have gotten it. And really? It took forty-three volumes before a rival was introduced?"

"Whatever," Arata smirked at the younger boy. "Just leave the questions to me then!"

"But this was just a beginner level question," the game master shrugged at both participants. "Next, please go to the entrance of EDEN. You will be asked another question by the next game master, an avid enthusiast, there." He watched as Arata quickly dragged Takumi to the terminal.

"Okay!" Arata exclaimed as they arrived at the entrance. "The second master should be around here somewhere. Let's look for him and answer the next question!"

Takumi nodded before he spotted a boy wearing a purple shirt. "Ah? Is that person it?"

"Are you the game master?" Arata quickly ran up to the boy and asked.

The brunet chuckled and nodded. "Okay then… Let's get started… Question!" he smirked as he placed his hands on his hips. "In Bakuen Delete, what is the name of the pet rabbit that belongs to Rodrigo, the main character's Japanese-Brazilian next door neighbor?"

Takumi closed his eyes and considered it. "Mrs. Nana," he tried as that was the most adorable name he could come up with for a rabbit.

Arata crossed his arms as he seriously thought about it. "The dog was called John, the cat was called Polish, and the monkey was called Ekatarina…" He blinked as that only left one name. "Really?" he blinked. "Is it Pyonkichi!?"

The game master stared at Arata in surprise before smiling. "Wow, that's amazing. Correct!"

"Pyonkichi…?" Takumi blinked at that. He looked over towards Arata and noticed the raven-haired teen had placed his hands into his pockets as a smug smirk appeared on his face.

"So far you've been able to answer all the questions easily…" the game master smirked. "Just what I'd expect from you Arata," he chuckled. "Next you should go to the EDEN community area…" he directed the boys. "There you will be asked the final question by the next game master… The first one to answer the question correctly will be given the rare comic… Okay, try your best and good luck!"

The two of them returned to the community area and Arata quickly scanned the room for the last game master. "The Top-Tier Game Master should be around here somewhere. Let's look for him and answer the next question!" He paused though as he recognized a person nearby wearing a yellow shirt. "You're the Top-Tier Game Master… right?"

"Precisely!" the boy nodded. "You finally made it here! Of course it would be you, Arata! So, shall we get to the final question!?" Both teens nodded and the game master smirked. "Question! The main character in Bakuen Delete, Hakku Shoukyo, went to a school by the name of…"

Arata chuckled to himself. "That's an easy one! It's called 'St. Erase Private High School', right?"

"However…" the game master continued.

"Huh!?" Arata frowned.

"I'm afraid I need the exact name and address of the school!" the boy declared.

The raven-haired boy was taken aback by this. "Ah! I… uh…" he frowned as he crossed his arms. "But… I don't know…"

Takumi frowned as he made a wild guess. "Shinonome 2-8."

"UUHH-OOHHHH!" the game master shook his head. "Sorry! Wrong answer!"

"Uh… hmm…" Arata knit his eyebrows together. "Which one is it…? Oh yeah! I think it came up in Volume 18, the scene with the school entry application acceptance…!" He wracked his brain for the exact address on the form. "Hmm… Ah… Damn it…" he shook his head. "Come on… I know this…" He closed his eyes and pondered it some more before giving up. "I don't remember!" Arata desperately turned towards his friend. "Hey, Takumi, can you go figure it out?"

"Huh? How?" the redhead blinked at him.

"If you go ask some comic book nerds around the Broadway used bookstore they'll probably know…" the older boy suggested. "Please!" he begged his friend.

"Alright," Takumi nodded. "Sure."

"What is the exact address of St. Erase Private High School?" the game master repeated his question. "If you can tell me the right answer, you win!"

Looking back at Arata, the Cyber Sleuth noticed the older boy's body was shaking. "Don't worry, Arata," Takumi reassured his friend. "Just leave this to me!"

* * *

"Huh?" the raven-haired manga nerd blinked at Takumi in surprise. "St. Erase High School's address? Who the hell are you and why are you asking me this out of the blue?"

"Well…" Takumi frowned.

The other boy shook his head as he answered Takumi's question anyways. "St. Erase High School? You mean the one that the main character from Bakuen Delete went to? We… well, you know even though I'm an expert at everything to do with comic books, when you ask me out of nowhere like that…"

"You don't know it?" the redhead sighed.

The nerd chuckled at that. "Nah, that's an easy one." Takumi straightened up at that. "St. Erase High School is at Kingston 5-8."

"Kingston 5-8," Takumi repeated. "Alright, got it."

"But, why are you asking?" the boy blinked at him.

"I just need it for a rare comic contest," the Cyber Sleuth shrugged.

"What!?" the nerd tensed up at that. "A rare comic contest? If you can answer the question you get a copy of the legendary final volume of Bakudeli? WHAT!?"

"H-hey, I didn't say that!" Takumi cried out.

"No… No freakin' way!" the boy's eyes widened in surprise. "Are you freakin' kidding me!? You gotta tell me about it!"

"S-sorry, but I gotta go!" the redhead stated as he took off before someone else beat Arata to the question.

* * *

Arata crossed his arms and frowned. "Oh yeah, that's it," he nodded to himself. "It's a Kingston address, but I can't remember the number…"

"Come on! Come on! Come on!" the game master teased him. "Hurry up and answer already! Someone else will win the rare comic!"

"NOOOOOOOO!" Arata cried out as he wracked his brain for the answer.

"Arata!"

"Oh! Takumi!" the raven-haired hacker brightened when he saw Takumi running towards him. "How did it go? Do you know the answer?"

"Kingston 5-8!" Takumi nodded.

"That's it!" Arata smirked as he turned towards the game master. "Kingston 5-8! That's it exactly!"

"CONGRATULATIONS!" the game master smiled at the boys. "THAT'S THE RRRRRIGHT ANSWER!"

"YES!" Arata jumped into the air. "I did it! Takumi, thank you so much!"

"That's it," the game master nodded to him, "you've answered all the questions! Please go to the EDEN free area now. If you get there first THE COMIC WILL BE YOURS!"

"YEEEAAAHHH, Takumi!" Arata cheered. "The mysterious guy who organized this contest seems to be in the EDEN free area! Quick, let's go!"

"Alright!" Takumi smiled and nodded before taking off after his excited friend.

* * *

A man wearing a burgundy shirt smiled at the raven-haired teen running towards him. "Hey! Arata!" The game sponsor shook his head. "Oh, sooo close!"

"Huh!?" Arata's eyes widened in shock.

"Unfortunately someone else got here before you…" the man chuckled. "You're the second one here, Arata."

"N-no… Really?" the hacker asked, hiding his disappointed frown behind his jacket's collar.

"Yeah, it was really just a split-second difference, actually…" the sponsor tries to console him.

"Ugh… I can't believe it…" Arata sighed. "I tried so hard…" He shook his head and shrugged it off. "Well, what can you do? It was fun, so I guess it's not a total loss. It was a nice way to pass the time."

The man laughed at the teen's quick recovery. "Well then, Arata. Maybe we should hold another rare comic contest in the future?"

"Oh! Cool!" Arata eagerly nodded. "Yeah, definitely! Next time I'll be the organizer!"

"Huh…?" Takumi blinked at his friend in confusion. "So you actually know the man who set this whole thing up, Arata?"

"Hmm?" Arata looked over to the redhead. "Oh yeah, I know this guy."

"But you said he was 'mysterious' and 'suspicious'," the younger teen frowned.

"Huh? I said he was 'suspicious' looking?" Arata's eyes darted to the man and he quickly shook his head. "Eh… n-no… I never said that…"

"Arata!" Takumi knit his eyebrows together.

"Well, I think it spices things up a bit, calling him suspicious and all that…" the older teen chuckled. He crossed his arms and smirked at the Cyber Sleuth. "Actually, I do that all the time with my friends." He nodded over to the man. "This guy is… well… sort of my 'friend'… or whatever," he tried to coolly say.

Takumi smirked at the raven-haired hacker. "Really…?"

Arata frowned at the redhead since the younger boy seemed to be holding in laughter. "What…? What is it? Is something wrong?"

"Arata, you're just posing as a cool loner," Takumi burst out into a laughing fit. "You're such a nerd. And you're friends with some weird people."

"D-don't say that!" the older boy shouted, his face growing red. "That's not true at all!"

"But it _is_ ," the blue-eyed boy pointed out.

"Well, even so, it was fun, right?" Arata smirked. "You should take part next time, too!"

"Sure!" Takumi laughed.

* * *

Kyoko stared at the comic book Takumi was borrowing from Arata and raised an eyebrow at its title. "Oh? 'Bakuen Delete'… a comic about hackers having to engage in battles with each other…"

"You've heard of it, Kyoko-san?" her assistant looked up towards her.

"It's a comic for people like him who have kind of a sickness," she nodded.

"Eh? Arata…? And a sickness…?" Takumi blinked before chuckling to himself. "Oh? You mean junior high school syndrome? Yeah, I guess he seems that way…"

"Still," Kyoko smirked as she crossed her arms, "a rare comic contest amongst friends… I wonder why humans would bother putting so much energy into something so utterly fruitless… They really have a lot of time on their hands."

"You're one to talk, Kyoko-san, with all your coffee-brewing," Takumi pointed out with a chuckle. "But… it's a fun way to spend time with friends. Doing something you love with the people you care about. It's not that strange and it's definitely not fruitless."

Kyoko chuckled in agreement with him. "People are a never-ending source of surprises," she ended up concluding. "I never pictured Arata-kun as the type to hang around otaku crowds myself."

"I'm always learning new things about him," Takumi realized too. "A hacker before gaining Digimon Capture, a questionable past due to said hacking background, and a comic fanatic… Arata sure loves his secrets… I wonder what else he could be hiding…"

"Everybody has a few things about themselves they don't want to share," the detective mused. "I wonder what it could be that you lock up in the recesses of _your_ mind."

"Huh?" Takumi knit his eyebrows together as he blinked at her.

Kyoko smirked at his confused expression. "But I suppose you're too much of an open book considering you're too honest for your own good. There's nothing about you that I can't figure out, but it also goes without saying that even I have things I keep from you."

"Even so, I'd never question you," Takumi shrugged. "I know you'll let me know of them when it's time. Besides, I trust you enough to never want to have to hide anything from you. That's just the type of relationship we have," he smiled.

* * *

 **Final Notes:** Kyoko really is an important person in Takumi's life at this point. For some reason, their relationship reminds me the bond Watanuki has with Yuuko Ichihara in xxxHolic. Takumi's bond is less tragic though... and he wasn't really tricked into it... Anyway, the Living Doll case is more disturbing to me than the Crossing Scramble case. At least with the Crossing Scramble, the results after the case had no lasting consequences other than a ghost girl haunting the scramble. She's easily ignored though since I doubt any other group of teens would be capable of pulling off the Shibuya Hirasaka. For the Living Dolll case, it's terrifying to think of _all_ the victims that can no longer be saved... And then we have Arata's just-for-fun case... He really is an Otaku Hacker... At least now we know why he's obsessed with Takumi being a Cyber Sleuth. Arata makes a very good detective's assistant's assistant though.


	15. Our Master Plan!

**Author's Notes:** The story moves really fast in this game... It might be because I'm cutting out all the non-story-related stuff... but the main story really isn't all that long. It only takes a while to play because I spend forever in the DigiLab reorganizing my Digimon. And then there's also the option to train and grind for better evolutions... which I usually ignore because the game is really easy. I mean... so long as you keep a healthy spread of Data, Vaccines, and Viruses...

* * *

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Arata smirked. "It took some time to do a little prep work."

"That's fine," Kyoko nodded to him. "I am really looking forward to seeing your Kamishiro infiltration plan."

"Excuse me," Yuuko looked around the room in confusion, "but what did you need from me?"

"Sorry to have called you here out of the blue, Kamishiro Yuuko-san," Arata apologized to her. "But now we have the Cyber Sleuth's Connect Jump, my hacking skills, and your connections. My plan involves using all three of these in concert for the first time."

"Connect Jump?" Yuuko frowned before staring at the redhead sitting across from her.

"Oh, you don't know about that?" Arata asked. He looked up towards his friend with a nod. "Hey, Takumi. Explain it to her."

"Um…" Takumi averted his blue eyes from her as he told her the truth. "So… my body isn't really… physical… It's half-cyber and can access any type of digital network through a Connect Jump."

"A half-cyber body?" Yuuko gasped, bringing her hands up to her mouth in surprise. "Is that even possible?"

"It's a… side effect of my actual body having EDEN Syndrome," he revealed to her.

She took a moment to consider all of Takumi's actions up to now. "I see. I think I understand now. That's why you've been able to move about so… mysteriously, at times." She frowned as she sympathetically stared at him. "So then you have EDEN Syndrome as well…"

Takumi tilted his head to the side when he sensed a bit of lingering sadness in her voice. "Yuuko-san…? Is something wrong?"

The quiet girl quickly shook her head. "No, it's nothing. I'm sorry for interrupting," she bowed her head. "Please continue," she told Arata.

"I'll explain the main thrust of the strategy now," Arata nodded. "Our target today is the secret database on Kamishiro's Avalon server. Beyond that is a top secret area known as the 'secret room'."

"The 'secret room'?" Yuuko repeated.

"Yeah, Kamishiro's most confidential area," the hacker nodded. "In other words, it's the location of the folder for every Kamishiro CEO, including Kishibe. Once that folder is open, you all can dive into Kamishiro's confidential database." He frowned at the woman sitting across from him. "Man, this detective agency is turning out to be scarier than any hacker team I know…"

"I'll take that as a compliment," Kyoko smirked and crossed her arms, "Yet our previous operation still ended with nothing to show for it. Now I get it. You've got your eyes on an even deeper level."

"That's the plan," Arata nodded. "Using a Connect Jump, we can get in as far as the confidential database. First, we use our Kamishiro connections to get us invitations to the preview event at Kamishiro HQ. Kishibe Rie, the CEO of Kamishiro, mentioned it, right? It's a preview of the big update for EDEN. We'll have Takumi infiltrate the confidential database from a terminal there. Once in, send an invitation URL for the database to me and then I'll be able to get in as well," he crossed his arms.

"Then you'll access the secret room, correct?" Kyoko asked.

"Yeah," the hacker nodded. "Once we have the data kept there, we should be able to solve this whole thing, including figuring out Suedou's true motives."

Yuuko brought her hand up to her mouth as she considered the plan.

"For that, we're gonna need to tap your connections once again," Arata nodded to the former CEO's daughter.

"Eh?" the girl blinked at him in surprise.

Arata shook his head. "The pass code that gets us into the secret room changes every day, right?" he asked Yuuko. "The only one who knows the pass code is Kishibe. We need you to get close to her. You're the only one of us who can."

"You want me to steal the pass code from her?" Yuuko asked.

"Well, that's the plan," Arata nodded. "Once we're in the top secret area, I'll override the security so we can communicate with Kyoko-san. You can tell us the pass code via Kyoko-san."

Yuuko closed her eyes and thought it over.

"Huh? What is it?" Arata frowned as he crossed his arms. "Don't tell me you've suddenly come down with a case of cold feet?"

"No, that won't be an issue," she quickly shook her head. "But I do have one request."

"Yuuko-san…?" Takumi tilted his head to the side as he studied her determined expression.

"My father, Kamishiro Satoru…" she looked up towards Takumi. "His notes and research data should still be in the secret room. Could you also get those for me? I'm sure the truth about my father's suicide and information related to EDEN Syndrome is in there."

"I see," Kyoko nodded. "We were certainly unable to find anything conclusive last time," she stated as she brought her hand up to her mouth. "If it's anywhere, it'll probably be in the secret room."

"Okay, I'm down with that," Arata shrugged and smirked. "It won't make the mission any harder, anyway." He paused though as a thought came to him. "Well, we don't know if the data is even there to begin with, but…"

"You're right," Yuuko agreed. "There's one other possible data storage site."

"Where?" Takumi asked with a tilt of his head.

"The core for EDEN's quantum processing and control," Yuuko replied, "the Valhalla server. That server's got to have all of EDEN's history recorded on it, dating back to the very beginning."

Arata's eyes widened at that. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hang on a second! The Valhalla server?" he shook his head. "Oh, sure, go right ahead and name-drop that like it's nothing, why don't you? Even the most legendary of hackers couldn't hope to get close to that thing. It's got the toughest security in the world, all in one place!"

"Oh?" Kyoko raised an eyebrow at him. "Admitting defeat already? That's not like you. What, did you have a bad experience there?"

"Who asked you?" Arata defensively asked. "It doesn't matter. That server is a no-go. It's not something we can just hack into," he adamantly stated.

"But if a Digimon program was used for the hacking," Yuuko considered, "there might be a way…"

"What did you say?" Arata frowned at the girl sitting beside him.

"Nothing…" Yuuko quickly shook her head.

Takumi frowned at both Arata and Yuuko as the two of them were acting rather odd. _Did Arata try to hack into the Valhalla server before? And is Yuuko-san actually considering it? But… Yuuko-san isn't a hacker…_ Takumi quickly shook his head to clear his mind of distractions. "Okay, but back to our operation," he spoke up, "we need to decide now whether or not to attempt to break into the server."

"It's already a gamble just infiltrating the secret room," Arata crossed his arms. "Asking us to hit the Valhalla server is another matter entirely. I want nothing to do with it," he firmly stated.

"Hmm…" Kyoko brought her index finger up to her forehead. "If you bail on us now, we lose everything," she told the hacker. "Anyway, our target today is the secret room."

"That's all there is to it, then," Yuuko nodded. "He who runs after two hares will catch neither. That's fine with me."

"Yuuko-san…" Takumi narrowed his eyes though as he sensed the girl was still interested in the idea of breaking into the Valhalla server. She might have dropped it now, but the Cyber Sleuth would have to be careful in the future. It didn't help that a part of him was also curious about the server as well as wanted to help her discover the truth about her father. _Maybe then it would clear that strange painful loneliness I always sense binding her._

"Okay," Arata cried out, shaking Takumi from his thoughts. "Then let's get this mission started!"

"Alright," Kyoko nodded at the three teenagers, "Head to Kamishiro headquarters in EDEN."

* * *

Takumi blinked at the strange disguise covering his avatar. He pushed up his glasses and shook his head. "So far, so good," he muttered to the brunet standing at his side.

"Well, we got into the preview no problem," the disguised Arata smirked. "Still, this is all pretty nerve-wracking."

"You don't have a lot of guts, Arata," Takumi laughed as he crossed his arms. "The thing with you is—"

"Quiet!" Arata frowned at him. "Don't use my real name! You're gonna blow our cover, Takumi! You idiot!"

The fake businessman frowned back at the hacker. "You were saying?"

"Oops," Arata turned away from him. "Sorry, sorry…" He cautiously looked around them. "We lose everything if they see through our disguises. Let's be careful about this."

"I see you…" a Kamishiro guide suddenly stated as he came up to both boys from behind. Both disguised teens turned towards the man and tensed up. "…have all gathered here today," the man smiled at the crowd gathered in the lobby. "Thank you so much for your patience, everyone. This is the entrance to the upgrade preview area," he said, pointing to the open portal in the center of the lobby. "Please follow after me."

When the man walked away, Takumi let out a sigh of relief. "Wow… That was something…"

Arata crossed his arms and frowned. "Had me going for a second with that 'I see you'… Way too close for comfort." He looked towards the portal and nodded to Takumi. "The venue is over there. Let's go!"

They joined the rest of the guests trying to get in and Takumi did his best to stay at Arata's side. When they finally made it into the preview, the Cyber Sleuth's jaw dropped at how different EDEN became. If he hadn't known any better, he would have thought he was back in the real world. "Amazing...!"

"Whoa, this is intense!" Arata nodded in agreement as he stared at the viewing platform. "They weren't kidding about it being a major upgrade. But this ain't the time to be gawking," he smirked. "Time to start our plan. But before that… Don't you feel funny in these get-ups?" Arata asked. "I played around a bit with the Stealth Hide you used before."

"So?" he asked before a flash of light shone in his eyes. He blinked when he noticed their disguises were gone. "Hey! What did you do!?"

"Relax," Arata crossed his arms and frowned at him. "This will help us recognize each other. There's nothing to worry about. Anyone else will still see us as different people," the hacker smugly smirked. "Okay then. Ready to get started?"

"Of course!" Takumi nodded. Both teens were about to set off, but paused when images of two young boys flashed into their minds.

"Ah…!" Takumi blinked and looked around.

"Aw man, not this again!" Arata complained.

Takumi frowned to himself as a strange feeling of nostalgia and sadness washed over him. _Why does this feel so familiar?_

"Did you just see that too?" Arata asked.

"Y-yeah…" Takumi nodded.

"Whew… That's good to hear," Arata sighed as he crossed his arms. "Guess I DON'T need to have my head examined. But what _was_ that, then? Digital… noise or something like that? Could it be related to EDEN Syndrome?"

"Could it?" Takumi seriously considered that possibility. _So far… all those times I've seen those images… Didn't Eaters also appear afterward?_

"We don't have time to think about this now," Arata shook his head and placed his hands into his pockets. "For now, let's just stick to the plan."

"R-right," the redhead reluctantly decided to let it go for now.

"You need to find a terminal and do a Connect Jump," the hacker nodded. "Contact me once you're in the database."

"Alright, but there's a lot of people here," the Cyber Sleuth pointed out. "Someone's bound to notice me performing the jump."

"Don't worry! I'll make a little noise to distract the Kamishiro employees," the taller boy stated. Both teens nodded to each other before Arata walked away. "Whoa! This is incredible!" His eyes widened and he rushed towards the window. "Sick! It's nearly identical to the real world! Sick! Really just… sick!"

"Ah, young man…" a Kamishiro guide tried to approach Arata. "Please keep your voice down!"

 _Now! Go!_ Arata sent Takumi a signal. "Whoaaa, this sky looks like the real thing! Kamishiro's tech is sooo amazing!" _What're you doing? Hurry it up!_

Takumi nodded before spotting a usable terminal. After a quick around him, he extended his right arm towards the access port and quickly Connect Jumped into the Avalon server. When he landed, he quickly fiddled with his Digivice to send the link to Arata.

He blinked when it didn't work. "I can't send the invitation URL," he muttered. "I'd better get in touch with Arata." He tried placing a call and smirked at the raven-haired teen when it got through.

"Hey, it looks like you got in easily enough," Arata smirked. "Now send me the invitation URL."

"I can't," Takumi shook his head.

"What? You can't send it? There's a block on it?" the hacker crossed his arms and frowned. "Hmph, stupid ol' Kamishiro database… Okay," he nodded to Takumi, "I'll try and do something from my end. For now, track down and break through the security so we can contact Kyoko-san."

"Will do," the Cyber Sleuth nodded. He nervously looked around though. "I don't know how I'll compare to you, but I suppose I'll do what I can."

"Hey, hang in there! No need to be nervous over something like this," Arata tried to put him at ease. "Talk to you later."

Takumi took a deep breath and sighed to himself. "Let's press on. Security should be around here somewhere!" He continued forward and blinked at the Andromon ahead of him. There was another Digimon too and his Digivice quickly scanned it. "MetalMamemon, another Perfect."

As soon as the boy approached them, both Digimon reacted by charging up their attacks. The small MetalMamemon pointed his Psycho Blaster at the intruder. "Energy Bomb!"

"Gatling Missile!"

Takumi quickly called out his Digimon and have them counter the attacks. "Rapidmon! Golden Triangle!"

The speedy Vaccine Digimon destroyed the attacks with his energy beam as Lilimon flew above him. She quickly pointed her hands at the Andromon as a flower appeared in them. "Flower Cannon!"

The Andromon flinched back before Takumi's Andromon rammed into it. Both robotic Digimon wrestled each other before the tamed Digimon opened up his chest plate. "Gatling Missile!"

"Good work, Andromon!" Takumi smirked as they quickly took down one of the two opponents. He frowned though as the Data-type MetalMamemon was giving Rapidmon trouble. "Andromon, Rapidmon, switch out! Lilimon, cover them!"

"Sun-Crescent Kick!" Lilimon flew forward and kicked the small Digimon, but as MetalMamemon was launched into the air, he aimed his Psycho Blaster at the fairy.

"Magnet Beam!" A strange beam shot out of the cannon and when the attack connected, Takumi flinched a fiery explosion erupted around his Digimon.

"Lilimon!" The Cyber Sleuth quickly reached into his back for a recovery patch and looked over his shoulder when he noticed his backup was finally done loading. "WereGarurumon (Black), get her out of there!"

The werewolf howled as he quickly leaped into the air. "Full Moon Kick!" He slammed his foot down onto the MetalMamemon before lifting Lilimon from the ground and returning to Takumi.

MetalGreymon (Virus) roared as he covered the retreating werewolf. "Trident Arm!" He launched his mechanical arm at the small metal bean, finishing their opponent off.

"Good work, everyone!" Takumi nodded to his team before he heard footsteps behind him.

Arata let out a chuckle as he reached the Cyber Sleuth's side. "Caught up with you!"

"Eh!?" Takumi blinked at him. "How'd you get in?"

"I was about to try to bust through security head-on," Arata began with a frown, "but it went down on its own just now. I don't suppose you did anything?" he asked with crossed arms.

"Well, I just took out two Digimon," Takumi shrugged.

"I see. Those Digimon you took out must have been there in place of normal security," Arata guessed. "Digimon aren't the sort of thing you can take out from the outside. Hell, usually you can't even take them out from the inside, either," he frowned at Takumi's powerful team. "I'm lucky you went on ahead of me!" he smirked at the redhead.

Takumi smiled back. "I suppose," he nodded.

"Okay, we'd better secure a line to Kyoko-san," Arata stated. "Hang on a sec, Takumi!"

"Right!" the younger boy nodded as the older hacker began to work his magic.

"Still, this is a nasty situation…" Arata muttered.

"What do you mean?" Takumi tilt his head to the side.

"If Digimon are being used for security purposes, then Kamishiro staff might be using them for all sorts of ends."

"Ah, you're right," Takumi thoughtfully brought his hand to his chin.

"Could this actually all be part of that jerk Suedou's plan?" Arata asked.

"Maybe? But he doesn't seem like the type to be relying on Digimon," Takumi pointed out. He was about to dive a bit further into his thoughts but a successful ping rang out from Arata's Digivice.

"Hey! I've gotten through," Arata smirked. "Try calling Kyoko-san, Takumi!"

"Right!" The detective's assistant quickly dialed in the office's number. "Kyoko-san, it's us!"

"I've… been… waiting," Kyoko appeared on the screen. "Can you… hear me?" She frowned as she worked on stabilizing the connection. "Can you hear me?" she repeated herself.

"Hey, we did it!" Arata nodded. "We're reading you loud and clear, Kyoko-san."

"Aha. Well done," she crossed her arms and smirked at the two boys. "And now for the passcode…"

"Yeah… Here's hoping that girl does her part," Arata nodded.

"Don't worry about her," Kyoko stated. "She'll do a good job."

"What makes you so sure?" Takumi asked.

"She's a bit wet behind the ears, but she's desperate and there's nothing scarier—and no one most dependable—than a novice who's desperate," Kyoko replied, bringing her hand to her mouth.

Arata chuckled at that. "You may have a point there."

"I'll check with her for the pass code," Kyoko nodded before hanging up.

"Okay then," Arata smirked. "We'll head off to the 'secret room'! I trust she'll get us the pass code, right?"

"If Kyoko-san says she will, then I trust Yuuko-san," Takumi nodded with a smile. "Besides, Yuuko-san hasn't let us down yet."

* * *

Yuuko quickly broke past the first few layers of firewalls Kishibe set up. "Just a little… Just a little more…" she frowned to herself. She looked around the large office before her eyes went back to the goggles wrapped around her left arm. The raven-haired girl knit her eyebrows together as she returned to her task, remembering what was at stake if she failed.

* * *

Takumi frowned as he stumbled upon a dead end. "This path is no good too," he told Arata.

"What's up?" the taller hacker raised an eyebrow at him. "Huh? We can't go any further?"

"No matter where we go, we can't move forward," Takumi sighed and closed his eyes as he tried to come up with a way around this.

"Hey now," Arata smirked. "Why do you think I came along?" He shook his head as he studied the path before them. "Hmph. A newbie like you might not see it, but if you can find a point in the security net that's more strained than others…" he pulled up a monitor and began typing. "Ah, here we go."

Takumi watched as a path suddenly opened up. "Whoa…!"

"And now security itself is our way in," Arata nodded. "Okay, let's go!"

"Right!" The Cyber Sleuth noticed some strange data sealed and smirked as he quickly began scanning it. "Okay, this stuff I can handle."

Arata nodded as he spotted another dead end before them. "Super easy," he smirked as the two of them hacked their way through the server. Eventually they made it to the end and the pair slowed down. "That looks like the entrance to the secret room!"

"Let's go," Takumi nodded. He was about to take a step forward but sensed a familiar unwanted presence. "Arata!" he quickly turned around to face the Eater that suddenly appeared behind them.

"Huh!?" Arata turned too. "But that's…! What is an Eater doing here!?" He shook his head and prepared his Infermon for battle. "Ngh! We don't have any choice. We've got to fight it!"

"WereGarurumon (Black), go!" Takumi directed his fastest Digimon of his current team to preempt the monster.

"Kaiser Nail!" the werewolf quickly rushed up to the Eater and slashed the creature with his claws.

"Hell's Grenade!" Infermon laughed as he fired multiple shots out of his mouth.

Arata smirked as the mollusk-like beast was easily dispatched. After a while, he turned towards Takumi with a serious frown on his face. "This is no laughing matter. There's no way this thing was a part of Kamishiro's 'security' measures, right?"

"It shouldn't be," Takumi worriedly frowned as he thought back to the preview demonstration. He was quickly taken out of his thoughts when he received a call.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Kyoko smirked. "Yuuko-san got her hands on the pass code."

"Hey! She really did it!" Arata smirked.

"I'm sending it now," the detective nodded.

"Alright," Takumi nodded. He blinked at the new message he received though and groaned. "W-wait… this is it?"

Curious, Arata peered over the shorter boy's shoulder and read the password he just received.

 _PASS CODE: rie-chan_moe_moe_

The older teen's face fell. "H-huh…?"

Kyoko blinked at both boys in concern. "Did it go through? That's the pass code to the secret room."

"This is it?" Arata asked in confirmation.

"Apparently the password wasn't something that was capable of being deduced via hacking," Kyoko pensively stated, bringing her hand up to her mouth. "You'd have to have a strong handle on her personality or else make a lucky guess."

"So… rie-chan_moe_moe…" Arata frowned.

"Yes, rie-chan_moe_moe," Kyoko smirked at him.

"Uh…" Takumi frowned at the strange lady's password. "Have I ever mentioned that she scares me…?"

"I did mention how the pass code changes daily, right?" Kyoko crossed her arms. "This one is still valid. By the way, yesterday's pass code was…"

Arata and Takumi gulped as they nodded. "W-what was it?" Takumi asked.

"No, let's just move on, shall we?" the blonde woman shook her head. "It's a bit too lurid for minors like you."

"I expected as much from that woman," Takumi sighed.

"Hang on! Wait!" Arata frowned.

"All right, proceed with the operation," Kyoko teasingly smirked at the curious teen. "We don't want Yuuko-san's efforts to be in vain. You have to make your way inside!"

"Man," Arata crossed his arms in disappointment. "Now I really want to know what it was!"

"Well, I don't," Takumi shook his head. "Let's just hurry before it somehow changes into something else."

* * *

Yuuko let out a relieved sigh. "This _should_ do the trick…" She looked towards the exit and got up from the oversized office chair. "I've got to get out of here and fast." She only managed to get past the desk when a security alarm sounded. She froze up and gasped. "I've been found out?" She looked around the window displays around her as they flashed red. "So then this is…" Yuuko frowned as she hoped Takumi and Arata were at least successful at their end.

* * *

"Well," Arata smirked as they stepped onto the terminal, "looks like this is the place. The secret room, huh? Well then, let's see what secrets you're hiding exactly, shall we?" He crossed his arms and sighed. "But that pass code makes me think. What kind of woman is Kishibe? She can't be anything like Nokia, right?"

"N-no… she's worse than anyone I've ever met…" Takumi answered, bringing his hand up to his mouth. "There's something… unnatural about her…"

"Well, never mind," Arata shrugged as he inputted the password and a door opened up. "We've got some searching to do."

Both teenagers took a deep breath to brace themselves before stepping into whatever hell was waiting for them. Takumi tensed up when he was assaulted by the strong scent of roses and the color pink. He looked around with an uncomfortable frown on his face. "Ah… this is… almost normal… Not really… but close enough for Kishibe, I guess…"

"Whoa… For real?" Arata scowled at the tacky decorations. "So this is Kamishiro's top secret area, then?" He shook his head as he brought them both on track. "We've got to find the data we're after now! You go search over there," he pointed over to the dresser off to side of the room as the older boy started for the vanity.

"Right," Takumi nodded as he opened up a drawer. He tensed up at what he found though. "Eh!?"

"Huh?" Arata hurried over to him. "You found something? What is it?" He blinked when the redhead lifted up a strange piece of fabric. "That trashy old rag?" He paused when he realized what it really was. "Th-these are…"

Takumi blankly blinked at what he was holding up. "Um…"

"Panties?" Arata shook his head. "Why are these in here? And how long are you gonna hold 'em for? Put those away!"

Takumi fumbled with them before dropping them into the drawer and slamming it shut. He backed away from the dresser and tripped before landing in the obnoxiously fluffy pink bed. Something hard painfully pressed against his chest and the Cyber Sleuth didn't quite look forward to knowing what it was. He carefully pushed himself up and removed the object in question. "What is this? Hm?" he blinked at what looked like to be a locked journal of some sort. "Arata, I think you take a look at this."

"Now what?" Arata sighed as he walked up to the younger boy with hands in his pockets. "Huh? Rie's Heart-Wrenching Diary? All right," he carefully took the journal from Takumi, "let's see what you've got…" He worked on decoding the information but blinked at how complex the lock was. "It looks like the contents are encrypted. It can't be. This is the confidential library?"

Takumi blinked when his Digivice began to ring. As he answered, Kyoko urgently frowned at the boys. "Are you two okay!?" she asked.

"We're fine. Why?" Takumi tilted his head to the side.

"Has something happened, Kyoko-san?" Arata asked.

"It seems there was a disturbance at the preview," Kyoko stated.

"Huh!?" Takumi tensed up as a chill ran down his spine. He could distinctly feel an abundance of distorted Digital Waves gathering in a location. Although he was too far to analyze them, the signature of an Eater was unmistakable.

Arata crossed his arms and frowned. "A disturbance? What's that supposed to mean? At the preview venue?" The hacker quickly pulled up a few monitors to hack into a camera for them to see what was going on. "Uh-oh!" Arata's eyes widened as the guests in the preview were being attacked by multiple Eaters. "It's another Eater!"

"Kyoko-san!" Takumi knit his eyebrows together. "What's happening!?"

"Kamishiro has put an emergency stop to the EDEN service for the time being," Kyoko informed them. "The announcement claims illegal access by hackers as the reason behind it."

"Oh, yeah, of course!" Arata frowned. "Always conceal the truth!" He paused as he considered something. "But if that monster manifested before so many people, they won't be able to control things so easily." He paused to consider something. "Huh? Then that means…"

"Arata, look!" Takumi quickly pointed out something on the monitor that quickly caught his eye.

"That girl and… Kishibe Rie!" Arata's eyes widened.

"N-no way…" Takumi tensed up as he stared the screen. "Was our operation compromised again…?" He could see Yuuko facing off against Kishibe as the woman kindly smiled at the young girl. "Yuuko-san!"

"What's this about a disturbance?" Yuuko asked. "The servers are down from an online attack? That's just nonsense, right?" She frowned as she considered the Eaters at the venue. "There must be victims of EDEN Syndrome from all this. So why…? Why hide that?"

"Now, now, Yuuko-chan," Kishibe's smile grew. "Don't be so scared! Your tongue'll freeze up and you won't be able to talk!"

"S-stop joking around!" the girl yelled. "I… You've been taking care of my brother… That's why this whole time, I've been…!"

"That's right…" the green-haired woman frowned. "Little Orphan Yuuko-chan, and a minor, at that… With your brother in the condition he's in, you need someone to keep looking after him. Listen to me and keep what I say a secret. It's better to stay on my good side, don't you think?"

Yuuko tensed up at that. "Ah…!"

"If you're going to go through life with grown-ups holding your hand for you," the CEO continued, "you'd better play your cards right. If not, I might plum forget to take care of your dear big brother. Oopsie!" she threateningly smiled. The raven-haired girl let out a shaky breath at that, resulting in Kishibe laughing at her pitiful expression. "Just kidding! Right? Obviously! But, seriously?" she tilted her head to the side. "Without the hospital taking care of them, all those patients could start fading fast. Oh no!"

Takumi tensed up at that. "N-no…!"

"It would be just _awful_ if that were to happen," Kishibe sympathetically nodded.

"Rie-san…" Yuuko frowned at the awful woman. "People like you should be…"

"What did I tell you about making that face?" the lady laughed. "It's all good, Yuuko-chan! I think of you as the darling little sister I never had! And there's your brother too, of course! He's been orphaned by our dear, departed chairman as well!"

The raven-haired girl lowered her gaze as there was nothing she could say to counter the woman.

"And so to keep me from simply forgetting anything," Kishibe's smile grew as she crossed her arms, "you mustn't access my private data anymore. Do we have an understanding?" Her tone had gone from her usual sickeningly sweet sultriness to a low, threatening whisper.

Yuuko closed her eyes and frowned to herself. She took in a deep breath before glaring at the woman before her. "Rie-san, answer me this. What on earth were you planning to do with the Demon hackers?"

Takumi blinked as Yuuko's question came out of nowhere. "H-huh…?"

"Well, well!" Kishibe chuckled. "You finally asked a direct question. My strategy will be very effective! But that's a secret!"

"EDEN is…" Yuuko angrily tensed up, "is the dream land my father built. Keep your filth out of it! I will never surrender EDEN to you!" With that, the girl stormed out of the office.

As she left, Kishibe giggled at the teenager's tantrum. "You're soooo adorable! Threatening me while trembling and almost crying! So heart-wrenching, I could just die!" she laughed.

"Yuuko-san…" Takumi frowned as the raven-haired girl disappeared from the screen. The Cyber Sleuth was about to turn away but he noticed Kishibe crossing her arms and looking over towards someone else. "Huh…? Is there another person there?"

"And?" the woman seriously continued. "How is the prep work coming along, Akemi-chan?"

"Without any mishaps. Naturally!" Suedou declared as he entered the office.

"We had the desired results from the upgrade, yes?" Kishibe smiled at him.

"We did," the scientist gave her a pleased nod. "We've nearly verified the theory regarding Eater behavior."

The woman let out a squeal. "You did a very good job! And then there was that test. You knocked that one out of the park, Akemi-chan!"

"Yes, yes, leave it to me," Suedou smiled. "I will have an optimal stage ready and waiting! That day will be one that you and I will never forget!"

Kishibe squealed again. "That sounds sooo romantic!" She turned towards the exit, ready to start the next phase of their plan. "Okay, Akemi-chan, let's go!"

Suedou followed after her but paused to look at the camera he knew Arata had hacked into before continuing on. Arata crossed his arms and frowned at the man's actions. "He saw us, didn't he? That old guy?"

Takumi shivered. "I think so…"

"He gave a little sign that he'd noticed us," the raven-haired boy continued, "and yet he didn't give us away!" Arata let out a frustrated groan. "I don't get it! Is he against us? Or on our side? Which is it?"

"I wonder…" Takumi frowned. His Digivice began to ring again so he quickly picked up.

"You've got the information?" Kyoko asked the boys.

"Yeah," Arata answered. "It's called 'Rie's Heart-Wrenching Diary', a library of top-secret Kamishiro information. We've got a perfect copy. We'll wait to do the decrypting until we get back."

"That's excellent," the detective nodded. "Get out of there as soon as you can. With all the confusion going on now, you should be able to leave right through the front entrance."

"But what about the Eaters?" Takumi asked.

"Can we really just leave the Eaters at the preview venue?" Arata frowned.

"EDEN's servers are shut down for the time being," Kyoko stated as she brought her index finger to her forehead. "There shouldn't be any more victims today." She sternly looked straight into Takumi's blue eyes. "I understand your desire to get rid of the Eaters, but think about it. Making contact with one would run the risk of destroying the confidential information."

Takumi frowned to himself as he struggled between wanting to save the preview guests and completing his mission. In the end, he knew he had to choose the latter as it would be more beneficial in the long run. With all of the victims today, he had to prioritize any information pertaining to EDEN Syndrome above all else. "Alright, Kyoko-san," he sighed. "I understand…"

"Roger that," Arata nodded before sharing a frown with his friend. "Takumi, let's go back to the agency."

"Yeah…" Takumi nodded.

* * *

"There was official word from Kamishiro that an Eater appeared at the preview event," Kyoko sternly stated. "It seems that Kamishiro claimed that hackers with malicious intent interrupted the preview."

"The press is in an uproar, reporting that hackers caused some of the participants to develop EDEN Syndrome," Yuuko added with a frown.

"Oh, come on!" Arata cried out. "They've got to be kidding! Blaming anything bad that happens to them on hackers!"

"To the general public, hackers are nothing more than outlaws and they're demanding that scapegoats be brought forth," Kyoko stated. "Put it this way. Hackers 'reap what they sow'. Pardon me if that sounds a bit harsh. Still," she crossed her arms, "this brouhaha might have made it easier for you all to slip in unnoticed."

"Suedou saw what we were doing," Arata pointed out, "but he didn't say anything. Why? It doesn't make sense."

"Interesting," Kyoko mused. "The reason why might be in here," she nodded at the data both boys managed to retrieve.

"This is what we found in the secret room," Arata nodded.

"Hmm… 'Rie's Heart-Wrenching Diary'… As I expected," Kyoko nodded, "a library of top-secret Kamishiro information. It was encoded with an advanced encryption, but I finally decoded it just a short while ago."

"And?" Arata crossed his arms. "What was inside?"

"The Paradise Lost Plan," the detective answered.

Takumi looked up at that. "Eh?"

"The Paradise Lost Plan…?" Yuuko frowned at that name.

"Yes," the detective nodded. "Have you heard of it?" she asked Takumi.

The redhead shook his head. "Never…"

"Well, this is the first I've heard of it," Kyoko stated. "It seems that Kamishiro is controlling the Digital Waves to execute some large-scale plan."

"So these Digital Shifts that keep happening lately are being caused intentionally by Kamishiro?" Arata asked.

"It might be slightly misleading to say that," Kyoko shook her head. "Kamishiro's goal is for the Paradise Lost Plan to succeed. The Digital Shifts are simply a side-effect of that. The upcoming large-scale update to EDEN is a part of that plan, it seems."

"Okay, but…" Yuuko frowned. "Just what is the Paradise Lost Plan?"

"Yes, well," Kyoko brought her index finger to her forehead, "unfortunately the documentation doesn't describe the plan itself at all. That said, what is included, and this is very interesting, is the name of the individual responsible for developing the plan."

"The person responsible?" Arata frowned. "Who the hell is it? Cut the suspense and tell us!"

"It's Suedou Akemi," the detective plainly answered.

"Ah!?" the hacker tensed up at that. "Say what? That old guy?"

"And there was one other interesting piece of information in there," Kyoko added.

"What is it?" Takumi asked.

"It's about the first victim of EDEN Syndrome."

"Ah!" Yuuko tensed up at that and Takumi quickly noticed the girl's change in demeanor.

"There was a closed beta test run eight years ago," Kyoko explained, "before the EDEN cyberspace was opened to the public. During the test, there was an accident brought about due to unforeseen errors. One of the individuals involved never regained consciousness and became the first EDEN Syndrome patient."

"Eight years ago, huh?" Takumi frowned as he stared at Yuuko.

"The first victim?" Arata asked. "Who was it?"

"That is a topic for our next investigation," Kyoko responded.

"I can't believe it," the tall hacker shook his head. "They've been running EDEN all this time, hiding this information when there have been victims going back eight years?"

"It's what makes big companies so scary," Kyoko shrugged, "Their refusal to stop for something so 'trivial'. That's why this information is so valuable. We've got to share it with Detective Matayoshi." She crossed her arms and nodded at their operation's success. "Nothing ventured, nothing gained… Well, you've really gained something this time!"

"Um, excuse me…" Yuuko spoke up. "Was there no information on my father, Kamishiro Satoru?"

"No," Kyoko shook her head. "At the very least, there wasn't anything in the data that was brought back."

"There was nothing that looked like that in there," Arata explained. "The only other stuff was some trashy panties," he frowned at Takumi. He blinked when he noticed the redhead didn't seem to be paying attention to the rest of the conversation. The younger boy was intently fixated on studying Yuuko.

"I see…" the raven-haired girl frowned.

"Sorry I wasn't able to do more," Arata apologized to her and hid his frown behind the collar of his jacket. "Thanks for your help, though."

Yuuko dismissed his gratitude and stood up. "Please excuse me." She started for the door but Arata called out to her.

"What? Hey, hang on a second."

"I might not be able to help anymore," Yuuko stated without turning to face them.

"Yuuko-san…?" Takumi frowned as she left the agency.

"Hmm," Kyoko crossed her arms. "It seems like there's something on her mind."

"Hey, Takumi," Arata looked over towards the soft-hearted redhead. "Go after her and see if you can talk to her."

"Me…?" Takumi blinked at him in surprise.

"You heard her, right?" the older boy sternly frowned. "Her brother has EDEN Syndrome. Someone might be blackmailing her to keep her mouth shut. And then to have EDEN, her father's dream, hijacked by that Kishibe woman… Your body being in the state it's in gives you a stake in all this too. I'm not in a position to comfort or encourage her. But you, you're good at that, yeah?"

"I… guess…" Takumi frowned.

"Go on, then," Arata nodded to him.

Takumi stared at his gloved hand for a moment before nodding and rising to his feet. He quickly took off after Yuuko without another word, leaving Kyoko and Arata behind in the office. The detective brought her hand up to her mouth and studied the hacker sitting across from her. "I've revised my opinion of you a little, kid. You value your friends more than I thought."

"Don't damn me with your faint praise, woman," Arata shook his head at her.

"All right, then," Kyoko replied. "But perhaps active encouragement is better than verbal," she said with a smile. "I've got a new coffee idea! This is special. Oyster sauce for extra punch," she paused as another recipe came to her, "or maybe you'd prefer apple cider vinegar?"

Arata tensed up at that. "Eh!?"

* * *

"Yuuko-san!" Takumi quickly caught up to the quiet girl. "W-wait up!"

"Takumi-san?" Yuuko turned towards the boy chasing after her and blinked at him. "What is it?" she asked him. "Was there something else?"

"W-well…" the blue-eyed boy looked away from her.

The girl noticed his concerned expression and knit her eyebrows together. "Did you come after me because you were worried about me?"

"U-uh, y-yeah," Takumi nodded.

"Thank you very much," she politely told him.

"N-no, it's r-really nothing," the boy shook his head. "I understand how it is you're feeling after all," Takumi told her with a sad frown as he considered her current living situation. "It must be difficult… living without your family…"

"Eh?" Yuuko blinked at him in surprise before studying Takumi's sympathetic frown.

"Hm?" Takumi noticed her gaze and quickly put on a lopsided grin. "Oh, I mean… I'm sure things will get better. If anything, you're never completely alone! J-just hang in there…"

The girl frowned as the boy sheepishly chuckled to himself. "Can I ask you something?"

"What is it?" he asked, looking up at her.

"Do you want to return to your original body?"

"Hm?" Takumi blinked at her before closing his eyes. He shook his head before opening his eyes again. "I… don't really know," he honestly told her.

"Eh?" she blinked at him in surprise. "But don't you want to find a way to cure EDEN Syndrome? Even now, your real body…" She frowned as it probably wasn't a pleasant thought for the boy. "Do you like this body more than your actual body?"

"No, it's not that," Takumi shook his head before explaining. "It's just… this body has given me the power to help people. Of course I want my real body back, but I'm going to do all I can with the body I have now. There are things only I can do after all. It's difficult, but this is what I've decided to do."

"I see," Yuuko smiled at him. "Yes, that makes sense."

The redhead stared at her smiling face. "Yuuko-san…?"

The raven-haired girl chuckled to herself. "Why am I asking you something so obvious?" She gratefully nodded to Takumi. "My hesitation has gone away. I'm going to try to do what I obviously should be doing," she told him.

Takumi stared into her eyes and nodded. "Yuuko-san, if you ever need assistance, please don't hesitate to ask me. I don't know what it is you've decided, but… for your brother's sake as well as yours, don't take on too much on your own," he gently smiled at her.

Yuuko nodded to him in understanding. "I must be going." She lowered her gaze but still smiled at him. "Goodbye."

The redhead watched her walk away. "Yuuko-san…" Feeling a little bit better about himself, Takumi managed to crack a genuine smile of his own. "I guess I'll have to do the same…" He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before returning to the agency. He tensed up when he thought he heard someone choking inside.

"Gaaah!" Arata's death cry could be heard through the door. "Oh god… My throat! Oh no, is… Is this how it all ends?"

Takumi winced as he heard his friend collapse to the ground. The redhead nervously backed away from the office as he decided to return later, preferably when Kyoko's new brew was gone. "Actually…" he quickly turned towards the direction Yuuko went off to, "I wonder if Yuuko-san would like to get something to eat…" With a hopeful grin on his face, he quickly took off to find her again.

* * *

 **Final Notes:** Originally, I wanted Takumi's mom to be a bit more important to the story, but... I doubt giving her EDEN Syndrome would be beneficial to Takumi's psyche. He's a very sensitive boy after all. Actually... all of the boys in this game are quite fragile... We have Arata posing as a cool, aloof big brother figure. Then there's Takumi's emphatic personality and his refusal to leave anyone in trouble behind, even if it puts him in danger... And finally, there's Yuugo's teenage angst that won't really hit until next chapter. Out of the girls, only Yuuko seems wrought with problems, but that's because she has issues she's actively working on. Nokia and Kyoko though are completely fine. Or at least, Nokia's problem was her inability to act in the beginning, but she's already gotten over that thanks to Agumon, Gabumon, and Takumi. And Kyoko is an extremely well-adjusted adult. I suppose she has to be if she has to deal with Takumi and his friends every day. She loves her assistant dearly after all and won't ever let anything bad happen to him. Sometimes, I feel she's more of Takumi's mom than his actual mom...


	16. Hacking, Taming, & Cyber Sleuthing Pride

**Author's Notes:** Hmm... So I forgot to mention Kishibe's password yesterday... So yeah, "rie-chan_moe_moe"... Translated to "rie_k*totes_adorbs"... Both are equally obnoxious for a grown woman but the moe one feels a bit more threatening to me... Mainly because she's trying so hard to be moe it terrifies me. Seriously... I wonder what her previous password was... but then again, I don't really want to know. Also... it's too bad her room is only available in that one moment... There's no returning there at any point in the game. Not that there's any reason for Takumi to ever go back into that hell hole... It's actually the same with the Special Ward... Which sucks because I want to be able to actually visit Takumi's real body every now and then... It's kinda sad actually, that Takumi has to break into a hospital just to visit himself...

* * *

~EXPANDING~THE~NOKIA~CORPS!~

"Cron's been quiet lately," Takumi frowned as he returned from an excursion to EDEN. "I'd have expected for there to have been something going on between Rebellions and Zaxon, but there's nothing."

"I know I said not to worry about it, but how do you think Nokia is doing?" Kyoko asked. "Is she still looking for allies in Cron?"

"She's doing well," the redhead nodded as he pulled up his DigiLine log for the detective. "She has a lot of Tamers gathered, but it looks like she's still short on combat hackers."

"Why don't you join her?" Kyoko chuckled.

Takumi shook his head. "I'd rather not. I can't just choose between Nokia and Yuugo. The two of them want the same thing, in a sense. As a Cyber Sleuth, I'm taking a stance of neutrality." The redhead worriedly reread his logs before sighing. He grabbed another case off the whiteboard and prepared for another Connect Jump. "Well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to check up on her. Nokia doesn't have a forum room like Zaxon or the Demons, so Galacta Park should be a good place to start."

* * *

Takumi looked around the empty park before a tamer spotted the curious redhead. "Y-you're Akkino's guy, right?"

The Cyber Sleuth blinked at the capped boy. "Um… I'm Nokia's friend, yeah…"

"I have a request for you!" the boy smiled.

"Like a case?" Takumi tilted his head to the side.

"Oh, that's right," the Rebellions tamer nodded. "You're the Cyber Sleuth! I'll send the case info ahead to your office."

* * *

 _Client: Rebellions Tamer Yasu_

 _Place: Galacta Park, Cron_

 _Details: I want to help Akkino! But I am totally powerless… I need you to help instead of me!_

"Oh?" Yasu brightened when Takumi returned to the park. "You came to see me!? Thanks, dude! I'm a newbie in Rebellions. My name's Yasu! I'll get to the case details in just a sec, but first there's something I wanna check." Yasu leaned towards Takumi and intently studied the Cyber Sleuth. "Basically, I just need to know. Are you a member of Rebellions? What are you? What aren't you?"

Takumi sheepishly scratched his cheek. "I'm just a Cyber Sleuth…"

"What do you mean?" the boy smiled. "That seems a bit vague… Akkino didn't mention you, but it seems like you want to join Rebellions. So, please, keep watch over Akkino! That is your duty! You're the one who changed her, so it's the least you can do!"

"W-well, of course," the redhead nodded. "But… uh… that doesn't make me a part of—"

"If you let her get into danger… I will never forgive you!" the excitable teen cried out. "And… well… I…" Yasu looked away from Takumi. "I l-l-l…" he mumbled a word Takumi didn't quite catch, "her… s-so…"

"Huh?" Takumi smirked at the impressionable hacker. "Love? Like? Leap?"

"Wahh!" Yasu shook his head. "W-w-w-what do you mean!?" he asked the laughing Cyber Sleuth. "I'm screwed. I love her, but I like her and I want to leap around too!"

"I see," Takumi chuckled.

"P-please don't make fun of me! I'm being serious!" Yasu frowned. "I don't know what I'm gonna do…" He suddenly became serious. "There are rumors that some of the hackers who Akkino invited to join us have something against her. I'm powerless… If anything should happen I want you to protect Akkino!"

"Sure," the redhead nodded.

"Thanks!" Yasu gratefully smirked at the skilled Cyber Sleuth. "Akkino is on Cron's first level now. Let's go and look for her!" he cried before taking off.

* * *

Takumi spotted Nokia ahead of them and looked over to his client, spying on her from afar. "What are you doing, Yasu?"

"Huh?" Yasu blinked at him. "Is this okay? I'm asking you to do your best to watch over her, secretly."

"That's a bit… creepy… And what if she gets into trouble?"

"If there's an emergency, that's a different story!" Yasu exclaimed. "Otherwise," he looked back towards the leader of Rebellions, "just watch her from afar. That's what a real man does!"

"S-sure," Takumi chuckled as he watched Nokia try to recruit another hacker to join her Tamer Group.

"Huh? What is it?" the girl asked with a smirk. "You wanna join Rebellions? You'll join, right? You wouldn't have talked for so long about this if you weren't interested."

The blond boy frowned at her. "Why should I join such a shady group?"

"Do it for EDEN," Nokia seriously stated, "for the Digimon!"

"Those problems will be there whether I join or not!" the knucklehead hacker shook his head as he placed his hands into his pockets. "And anyway, I'm the last person who could change things! I never got good grades in school. I don't have a girlfriend. I don't have a job…" he frowned at his pathetic life. "There's no way I'm gonna change anything…"

"That doesn't matter!" Nokia shook her head. "There will come a time when we and the Digimon need all the help we can get, even the little things you can do!" She nodded and smiled at the boy. "Also, if you join Rebellions your grades will get better!"

"What!?" the boy blinked at her.

"You will get a girlfriend! You'll even find a job!" Nokia encouragingly stated.

"Really?"

"I don't actually know!" she answered with a grin. "Everyone gets different results! But I believe in you!" she earnestly nodded. "You can do it!"

"Heh… 'I believe in you'…" the boy repeated her words with a chuckle. "It's been a while since I heard someone say that to me… If you're being truthful with me… Alright! It's a deal!" he nodded. "I'll join Rebellions!"

"Really!? Awesome! Thanks!" Nokia triumphantly cheered.

Yasu smiled at the successful recruitment. "Awesome! That's amazing! Akkino, you have a gift for recruiting, you know? Yasu: coming to a cinema near you!"

Takumi frowned at what he just witnessed. "So… people end up getting swept away by her energy and join… Somehow… that makes sense… for Nokia, at least…" he blinked when the blond boy smirked at his friend.

"Actually, now that I think about it," the new recruit began, "you're actually really pretty! Is it okay for me to date the leader?"

"Huh?" Nokia blushed. "Oh… um… That's… That might be a problem…"

Takumi quickly grabbed Yasu before the Rebellions Tamer could stir up trouble. "That jerk is pushing his luck!" Yasu cried as he struggled against the Cyber Sleuth. "How can he just make a pass at Akkino so casually!? I'm gonna put a stop to this! I'm gonna beat the crap out of this guy!"

"Hey, Yasu…!" the redhead frowned. "Calm down!"

"What!? Let go of me, Takumi!" the novice hacker cried out. "Let me at him! Let me aaaat hiiimm!"

Takumi looked up towards Nokia and the blond and noticed the other boy was ready to set off. "This is great! I'm gonna tell everyone about this!" the blond smiled. "They have to know about how I met a hot girl!"

"Ah! N-no!" Nokia's eyes widened. "Wait! Don't!" She paused for a moment before grinning to herself. "Huh? A hot girl, you say?" she giggled.

"Nokia, you did it!" Agumon cried out.

"Yeah! Apparently I'm a 'hot girl'…" she smirked.

"No, not that! You successfully recruited him!"

"Ah, oh yeah!" Nokia crookedly smiled. "Yeah, that's great…!" she faltered a bit.

"Are you seriously more happy about being called 'hot'?" Gabumon asked her. "But of course you did it. Haven't you gotten used to the fact that you're the leader now?"

"Thanks! But we still need more members!" Nokia nodded to the two Digimon. "Also…" she frowned.

"Also?" Agumon blinked at her.

"My ability to lead is not quite there yet, either," Nokia admitted to them. "I still can't face Yuugo or Fei. They're too strong. I can't always keep relying on Takumi to bail me out either…"

"I see…" Agumon frowned. "Maybe if we got stronger…"

"Oh, no!" Nokia looked at the Digimon in surprise. "No! I didn't mean you guys! I'm worried that I don't have what it takes!" She took a moment to think about something. "Not enough practice maybe?"

"Not enough practice maybe?" Gabumon repeated with a tilt of his head.

"Yeah, me neither, actually…" Agumon mused.

"All you need is a bit of motivation…" Gabumon nodded.

"Huh? Really?" Nokia blinked at the shy Digimon. "Hmm… motivation…" She shook her head and smiled at her two friends. "Well anyway! Standing around here trying to figure this out won't do any good! Right!" she psyched herself out. "Time to go recruit more hackers! Let's go!"

"Yeah!" Agumon raised his arm before the three of them rode the elevator up to the next level of Cron.

"Wow…" Yasu smiled. "Akkino, so brave, so tender…" He let out a wistful sigh. "I'm falling for her…" He blinked as she disappeared. "Ah! She's getting away! I've gotta protect her!"

Takumi seriously frowned at the elevator as he considered Nokia's words. "It looks like she's going deeper into Cron…" he told himself as he scratched his cheek. "You're really doing your best, aren't you, Nokia?"

* * *

"Hey!" Nokia called out to the capped hacker ahead of her. "Do you want to join Rebellions to help protect the Digimon? Please!"

"I understand your feelings towards Digimon, but…" the boy lowered his gaze. "I honestly doubt Rebellions is going to change anything…"

"That all depends on how hard we try!" Nokia earnestly cried out.

"But the team has just been set up recently, right?" the boy asked her. "You guys are no match for Zaxon…"

"Whether we are or not, we still have to try," the girl honestly stated.

"You have to try?" the hacker blinked at her. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," she nodded, "because if we don't, no matter how much time goes by the Digimon's situation won't change," she frowned.

Takumi blinked when another hacker passing by shook his head at her. "Wowowowow! Hold on there! You're that girl who's been going around asking hackers to join you, aren't you!?"

"Who are you!?" Nokia glared at the nosy boy.

"Oh!" the capped hacker tensed up. "Wait, stop! I don't want to get dragged into this!" He quickly turned around and ran away before he was caught up in any trouble.

"Oh… but… wait!" Nokia frowned. "Wait!" She glared at the new hacker. "Hey! Who're you!? You let the guy I was trying to recruit get away!"

The hacker laughed at her. "You don't know about me because you're an outsider."

"Huh? Outsider?" Nokia crossed her arms.

"I am feared, loathed, despised and shunned by the hacker community," the boy explained. "I am a Legendary Hacker of Infamy!"

"Legendary hacker of infamy?" Nokia knit her eyebrows together and frowned at the strange boy.

"Don't 'legendary' and 'infamy' mean pretty much the same thing?" Agumon asked.

"Huh?" Nokia blinked. "Oh, I get it!" she glared at the hacker. "You're the annoying comic-relief character, right? Well, if you're looking for a moron position, I'm afraid I'm not hiring right now. We've got too many morons as it is."

"Huh!?" the hacker frowned at her. "What did you say!?"

"Oh no!" Yasu tensed up. "This is a bad situation!"

"Say WHAT!?" the self-proclaimed legend glared at Nokia. "Oh, that's it. I'm gonna pound your face into dust!"

"Oh, so you're going to fight me then?" Nokia asked. "You wanna battle?" she nervously glanced over toward Agumon and Gabumon.

"You think this might foreshadow something?" Gabumon asked.

"Exactly!" Nokia nodded. "You get it, Gabumon!" She braced herself for a fight. "Well, if that's how you want it, bring it on!"

"Akkino is in danger!" Yasu cried. "Takumi!" he turned towards the Cyber Sleuth already calling out his team.

"Nokia!" Takumi quickly got in between her and the hacker.

"Huh!? Takumi!?" the girl stared at her friend in confusion.

"Ah!?" the hacker blinked at Takumi. "Who the hell are you!? Are you her back-up?" He shook his head as it didn't matter. "What!? I don't have time for this. Let's finish this! BlackWarGreymon! MetalGarurumon (Black)!"

"WereGarurumon (Black)! MetalGreymon (Virus)!" Takumi cried out as his two Perfect-level Viruses countered the pair of Ultimate Digimon. The Cyber Sleuth's blue eyes widened as he sensed this battle wasn't one he could win. He grit his teeth and continued the battle anyways as he called out to Lilimon. "Switch out with Rapidmon!"

"Black Tornado!" BlackWarGreymon began spinning and spiraled itself into MetalGreymon (Virus).

The mechanical dinosaur let out a pained roar as he struggled against the powerful Ultimate. "Giga Destroyer!" He flinched when the explosion of his attack also engulfed himself.

WereGarurumon (Black) skillfully dodged all of MetalGarurumon (Black)'s exploding projectiles as he made his way closer to the robotic wolf. The werewolf leapt into the air and attempted a strike of his own. "Full Moon Kick!"

MetalGarurumon (Black)'s eyes flashed as it jumped towards the Perfect Digimon with its mouth open. "Metal Fang!" it cried before sinking his teeth into the werewolf.

"MetalGreymon (Virus)! WereGarurumon (Black)!" Takumi winced as his Digimon was tossed aside. He quickly hurried to them and prepared to defend them with his own body if he had to. "H-hang in there!" he told his team as he dug through his bags for anything to help them.

"What!?" Nokia frowned at Takumi's defeated team. Who is this guy…? He's so strong!" She began trembling as she knew if Takumi couldn't win with his team of Perfects, there was no way she would with just Agumon and Gabumon. "What is this…? I thought he was all talk, but…!"

The self-proclaimed legend laughed as he prepared to delete their accounts. "You lose!"

"Not yet…!" Takumi braced himself to keep going. "We can't lose here…!"

"We have to help Nokia!" Agumon cried.

"With all our strength!" Gabumon nodded in agreement.

Both Digimon were enveloped in a bright light and Nokia stared at them in surprise when their forms changed. "Ah! Agumon? Gabumon? What happened to your bodies?"

"I am WarGreymon," the bipedal Digimon nodded to her.

The mechanical wolf at his side nodded. "I am MetalGarurumon!"

"Our desire to help Nokia…" WarGreymon began as he inspected his new body.

"…has made us evolve!" MetalGarurumon finished.

"E-evolve!?" Nokia blinked at them.

"Come on, Nokia!" WarGreymon glared at his dark counterpart. "Let's do this!"

"We will show you our power!" MetalGarurumon howled.

Yasu quickly ran over to Takumi's Digimon and applied a recovery spray. "Takumi…! Please do your best, one more time! Your health and stats are back to full now!"

Takumi straightened up and nodded at his Digimon. They all smiled at each other in understanding before Takumi faced their opponent. "Everyone! Let's go!"

BlackWarGreymon roared as it charged towards the Cyber Sleuth's team. "Black Storm Tornado!"

WarGreymon quickly countered the multiple tornadoes with one of his own. "Great Tornado!" He rammed into his Virus counterpart before raising his arms up for another attack. "Dramon Killer!"

Rapidmon quickly circled behind the two aerial Digimon and aimed his arms at BlackWarGreymon. "Rapid Fire!"

MetalGreymon (Virus) roared as he also joined in. "Giga Destroyer!"

Takumi jumped to the side as WereGarurumon (Black) rejoined the fight against MetalGarurumon (Black). "Use your Full Moon Kick!"

The werewolf howled as he leapt into the air and fired a blade of energy at the mechanical wolf. MetalGarurumon howled too as he reared back onto his hind legs. "Freeze Bomber!" he cried as a large missile launched out of his chest plate. The Virus wolf robot froze in place as the missile exploded into ice.

MetalGreymon (Virus) pointed his mechanical arm up towards BlackWarGreymon and roared. "Trident Arm!" He quickly pulled the flying Dragon Man from the air and slammed him down onto MetalGarurumon (Black).

"Now's our chance!" Takumi cried out. "Xros Combo!"

"Rapid Fire!"

"Full Moon Kick!"

"Giga Destroyer!"

WarGreymon raised his arms above his head to charge up an attack. "Gaia Force!"

MetalGarurumon opened up all of his ports, revealing every missile on his body. "Grace Cross Freezer!"

The self-proclaimed legend blinked as his defeated Digimon fell to the ground. "I… I guess I'm not such a legendary infamous hacker after all… Damn!" He shook his head and recalled his team before walking away.

"We did it!" Nokia cheered. "And thank you too, Takumi!" she turned to her reliable friend. "But, why are you here? I mean…"

Takumi sheepishly scratched his face. "Well, you know me… I tend to show up every now and then to help."

"Ah… I see," Nokia gratefully smiled at him. "You were worried about me? Well, sorry about that…"

"Actually," Takumi shook his head and nodded towards Yasu, "I'm here for a job. If you really want to thank someone, that's your guy over there."

"Akkino!" Yasu happily smiled at her. "That was amazing! Agumon and Gabumon got so strong…!"

"Yasu!" Nokia blinked at the Rebellion Tamer. "Did you ask Takumi to…?"

"Y-yes! I did!" he nodded. "To be honest…" he chuckled. "I'm sorry. I know it's a bit much, but… I was worried… Also, you don't need to call me Yasu, just Yas is fine…" he blushed.

"Yeah, I got it!" Nokia brightly smiled at him. "Thanks, Yasssssu!"

"Oh, no, that's not it," Yasu's face grew even redder. "It's…" he chuckled. "Never mind…"

"From now on we should all do our best, as members of Rebellions, okay?" Nokia nodded to him.

Yasu quickly turned around, but nodded.

"Eh, what?" Nokia blinked at him. "What's wrong?"

"Woohoo!" he suddenly cheered.

"All right!?" Nokia was a bit taken aback by that. Takumi raised an eyebrow at the boy but smirked.

"See… see you later!" Yasu called out to them before taking off.

WarGreymon tilted his head to the side. "That guy had a red liquid coming from his nose…" he noticed. "What was that about?"

Nokia crossed her arms and nodded as she answered her Digimon. "That's evidence of a direct hit to the love center of his brain by my pheromones…"

"So you evolved too, Nokia?" MetalGarurumon asked in surprise. "And that's your special move? Awesome!"

Nokia giggled at that. "Girls are like Digimon. We're always evolving!"

"Nokia…" Takumi sighed. "What have I told you about teaching the Digimon weird things?"

"Anyway!" Nokia smiled at her two new companions. "Agumon and Gabumon! You really turned into impressive looking Digimon!"

"It's all thanks to you," WarGreymon nodded. "We Digimon can only become really strong when we have a close relationship with our master."

MetalGarurumon nodded in agreement. "I will get as strong as I can to protect you!" he declared.

"WarGreymon… MetalGarurumon…" Nokia gratefully nodded to them. "Thank you both! You are the best Digimon I could have asked for! Right!" she smiled. "Let's get pumped up! Rebellions, time to go kick some ass!"

"Well, it looks like you don't need me around anymore, Nokia," Takumi smiled at his friend. "WarGreymon, MetalGarurumon, I leave her to you. Good luck!"

* * *

"And how was Shiramine Nokia?" Kyoko asked with a smirk as she crossed her arms.

"Agumon and Gabumon warp-evolved," Takumi seriously told her. "A good thing too since it looks like my team of Perfect Digimon isn't going to cut it anymore," he frowned as he considered a training regimen for himself and his team. "Whether they evolved through their bonds or just Nokia's will alone, I'm not sure…"

"Well, she's not the kind of girl to give up easily," Kyoko pointed out. "Anyway, that's interesting about Agumon and Gabumon evolving… I assume this will make Rebellions' activities even more intense than before… Attention will now be paid to activities of hers that were previously ignored…"

"Yeah…" Takumi wore a concerned frown. "I know I said I'd leave her to WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon, but by just having two Ultimate Digimon, she's an even bigger target than before."

"Maybe she will be able to change minds after all," the detective mused.

"You think so?" Takumi smiled.

"Huh? You don't know?" Kyoko raised an eyebrow towards him. "Any great historical figure who changes the world is inevitably not appreciated in their own time. They say there is a thin line between foolishness and genius." Her eyes shone as she studied her assistant carefully. "Perhaps they are right…"

"Eh?" Takumi blinked at her strange gaze. "You're still talking about Nokia, right?"

The detective only replied with a knowing chuckle. "Well, this case was a success," Kyoko stated. "Thanks for the effort you've put in." She sat back in her desk and smiled to herself. "You kids and your Digimon are all growing so fast, more than you realize. It's really a lovely sight to see unfold right in front of me…"

* * *

~FLOWERS~FOR~SAKURA~

Takumi blushed as he read Yuuko's DigiLine message to him. "I'm glad she had fun eating out with me…"

"Oh?" Kyoko peered over his shoulder to read what it was their client sent him. "And here I thought you were a professional," she smirked at the teenager. "Has the allure of youth finally caught up with you, my young assistant?"

"Maybe," Takumi jokingly grinned. "But Yuuko-san is still our very important client and I would never overextend myself in such a way."

The detective plainly stared at him before a small smirk appeared on her face. "Oh? So is there a reason for your red face?"

Takumi blinked at her a few times before his crooked smile grew. "Yuuko-san has the cutest smile when she eats…" The red-haired teenager closed his eyes as he remembered the girl's expression of pure happiness as they ate. "Ah… That cuteness can only be rivaled by Pete… It's not fair…" He opened his eyes when he still sensed Kyoko's eyes on him. "Is my crush on her that obvious?" he asked. When the detective didn't answer, Takumi worriedly frowned. "I-I swear I won't let it impede my work, Kyoko-san! B-besides, with my body the way it is, work has to come first!"

"Is that so?" Kyoko smiled at how mature her assistant was. "Well, what you do with your youth is your business. I know you well enough by now to understand you won't let your emotions get the better of you. It's for that reason you make a wonderful assistant."

"Thanks, Kyoko-san…" Takumi smiled at her. He took in a deep breath and let out an easy-going laugh. "In that case, is there anything you want me to look into?"

"Apparently your friend is moping around K-Café again," Kyoko sighed as she returned to her seat. "I suppose it's a tough age…"

"Ah… Ryota's love problems with Sakura?" Takumi guessed. "I'd better check on him then."

* * *

"Hey, Ryota," Takumi walked up to the brunet sitting at a table in K-Café. "Is something wrong? Are you thinking about Sakura?"

"Yeah…" Ryota sighed. His eyes were closed as he was deep in thought. "Hmm…" he opened them and glared at the table. "What to do? What to do…?"

"Is there anything I can help you with?" Takumi asked.

Ryota's eyes widened as he just noticed his friend staring at him. "Oh! Takumi!? How long have you been there!?"

"Just a few minutes," Takumi shrugged.

"It looks like your many years of experience as a detective have made you a master of stealth…" Ryota breathed in awe.

"It hasn't even been an entire year…" the redhead crossed his arms and frowned. "Anyway, do you have another case I can help you with?"

Ryota stared at his friend for a while before shaking his head and frowning to himself. "No, that can't be right…"

"So it's something I can't help you with?" Takumi asked in concern. "Is it that bad? You seem pretty worked up over whatever it is."

"Hmm? What am I worrying about?" Ryota smiled. "Damn it. How could you tell!? You're too good at this detective stuff…" He crossed his arms and nodded to his ever reliable friend. "Well, maybe it's better to ask you about this anyway. It doesn't seem like I'm gonna solve this one on my own…"

* * *

 _Client: Takei Ryota_

 _Place: Broadway_

 _Details: Oh… What should I do!? What can I do!? Is there something I can give to win over a girl's heart…?_

Kyoko blinked at Ryota in surprise. "Your girlfriend will be getting out of the hospital soon and you want to give her a present!?"

"Ah!" Ryota panicked and looked around nervously. "Kyoko-san, keep your voice down a bit! Sakura… She's not my girlfriend yet…"

"Huh? Not yet?" the woman teasingly smirked at the poor boy. "What on earth does that mean?"

"Eh… um…" Ryota squirmed in his seat. "I… well…"

"Look, if you want to give her a present, just give her whatever you want…" Kyoko brought her hand up to hide her amused expression.

"Come on, Ryota," Takumi nodded in agreement. "You and I know Sakura pretty well, so it shouldn't be that hard."

Ryota shook his head at the redhead. "I'd like to get something a girl would like," he explained. "Could you help me choose something?"

"But…" Kyoko sternly looked at their client, "you know you'll have to pay for this if it's an official case, right?"

"That's okay," the high school student nodded. "I just want her to have the best possible present," he said with an honest smile.

"If you say so," Takumi smiled back at him and placed his hands on his hips, ready to help.

"Well, I mean," Kyoko smirked, "she's just getting out of the hospital, that's all. Don't you think you're taking this a bit too far?"

"Ah, but he's in love, Kyoko-san," Takumi laughed.

"Jeez, give it a rest already!" Ryota glared at the two and crossed his arms. "I know you're detectives and all, but stop constantly analyzing every little thing for once!"

Kyoko chuckled at him. "It's a personal rule of mine not to take on a case unless I completely understand it." She shook her head as she decided to take on his case anyways. "But, okay, I suppose I can make an exception, just for now…"

"E-eh…? 'Just for now'?" Ryota frowned. "That sounds scary…" He shook his head and sighed. "I need money in order to buy the present, so I'll get back to my part-time job! I heard about some good haunted spots outside of EDEN," he smiled at them. "But I'll still need your help to come up with a perfect present!" He stood up and gratefully bowed to them before leaving them to their work.

"Hmm, he's still working in ghost photography?" Kyoko blinked.

"It looks like it," Takumi shrugged.

"Well, I guess that's fine…" Kyoko smirked as she looked over towards Takumi. "So, we're looking for something a girl would like." She chuckled and shook her head at the request. "Sorry, but I stopped thinking like a girl a long time ago, and you're too worldly, so that leaves us with a bit of a problem." She crossed her arms as an idea came to her. "In this situation, I'd say you should ask your feminine friends."

"Eh?" Takumi blinked at her.

"Hmm, your feminine friends…" Kyoko stared at her assistant as she wondered who that could be.

"What about Arata?" Takumi shrugged.

"Well, he's not really feminine, but if I had to say I'd say he seems like a kind of childish romantic to me…"

"Maybe Yuuko-san?"

"Well… She's not really the type," Kyoko shook her head. "She's naïve and probably wouldn't care about what kind of present it was, I'd say."

"Nokia then?" Takumi finally suggested.

"Perfect!" the detective smiled. "She's probably not really that kind of person, but at least she will try her best… or at least that's how she seems to me."

"No, that's Nokia alright," the redhead chuckled.

"Hmm, I think she's in Shinjuku right now…" Kyoko mused. "Go and ask for her opinion on girls' presents."

"Understood," Takumi nodded before taking off.

* * *

"There you are, Nokia!" Takumi greeted the girl with a smile.

"Hm? What's up?" she curiously looked up to him. "Is there some burning question you desperately need to ask me?"

"I'm looking for a present that a girl might like," Takumi nodded.

"Huh? You're looking for a present for a girl?" Nokia blinked at him. "Do you have any more information than that?"

"Not really," he shook his head.

"Hmm… a girl's present…" Nokia frowned at the redhead. "But, Takumi, why are you asking me about this?" Her eyes widened and she suddenly squealed. "OMG! You LIKE someone, don't you!?"

"Eh!?" Takumi blinked at her. "No, this is for—"

"But… you already have me…" Nokia stated with a blush. "Wait, is that why…?"

"Nokia, be serious," he tried to reach her. "I'm working—"

"But since you can't have me all to yourself you need to find someone else…" Nokia smirked at him. "That's probably it…"

"You're not listening to me, are you?"

"I guess I'm just too intimidating for most guys…" Nokia giggled, "But if nobody ever gets close to me because they're afraid… Not a good sign…"

"You know, you're like my sister, right?"

"But…" Nokia paused, "Takumi and me. We aren't like that."

Takumi let out a relieved sigh. "So you agree," he wryly smirked.

The girl nodded. "As Tamers of Rebellions, we all share the same goals, the same ideals… We have a special relationship that can overcome any obstacle!"

"Ah…" Takumi sighed. "You really weren't listening to me…"

"So," Nokia crossed her arms and smirked at the boy, "what's the request again?"

"A present a girl would like," he reminded her.

"Ah, it was about a present for a girl," she nodded. "You came to the right place! I happen to be an expert on the matter! When it comes to presents for girls, you can't go wrong with accessories!"

"Accessories…?" Takumi blinked.

"ACCESSORIES!" she nodded. "Girls eat, sleep and breathe accessories! They're a little pricey, but what about a necklace from Vivian's?"

"Uh…" Takumi brought his hand up to his chin as Yuuko and Sakura didn't seem to be like that. "I… see… I'd better discuss it back at the office."

* * *

"A necklace…?" Kyoko considered it. "Not bad…" She looked up towards Ryota and chuckled. "I think anything over a thousand bucks would hurt a high school student's wallet a bit too much."

"Y-yeah…" Takumi nodded with a frown on his face.

"Yeah, the price is one thing…" Ryota began as he crossed his arms, "but honestly, rather than getting her something so girly… I think it would actually be better to give her something romantic, a present that shows that I've put some thought into it."

"Hmm…" Kyoko thoughtfully stared at the brunet. "A romantic present…" She crossed her arms and smirked at their client. "I know I said I wouldn't ask too many questions, but I have one for you now…"

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Ryota panicked.

"You know she's just getting out of the hospital," Kyoko stated. "Why are you so concerned with getting her such an amazing present?"

"This…" Ryota frowned, "this is a chance for me…" he gulped as he worked up the nerve to completely answer her, "for me to tell Sakura… to tell her how I feel."

"Oh? 'Tell her how you feel'? Hmm…" Kyoko's teasing smirk returned. "And what exactly would that be?"

"Well, I mean…" Ryota looked away from the detective. "You know… that I… that I love her…"

"Love?" Kyoko raised an eyebrow at him. "Love!? You like this Sakura girl?"

"Well of course I do!" Ryota exclaimed. "Why else would I want to tell her how I feel!?"

"I see… but, why do you like her?"

"Well, I don't really know…" Ryota blinked at the woman. "I guess I just can't leave her and I want to be with her…" A determined expression appeared on his face. "I'm the only one who can protect Sakura!"

"Oh… 'I'm Ryota. I'm the only one who can protect you, Sakura'!" Kyoko stated with a nod. She continued to tease the boy by repeated the last sentence again. "I'm the only one who can protect you, Sakura! I'm the only one who can protect you, Sakura!"

Takumi laughed as he joined in too. "I'm the only one who can protect you, Sakura!"

"Wait, hey!" Ryota frowned at them. "Stop that! Stop saying that! STOP IT!" He shook his head. "Enough already!" He stood up and prepared to leave. "That's it. Now do what I hired you to do!"

Kyoko chuckled at the easily flustered teen. "He really is such a self-conscious teenage boy… But he's an honest kid. We should definitely keep helping him."

"It's not like I can say no to a friend in need," Takumi chuckled.

"Well, then…" Kyoko crossed her arms and turned to her assistant. "Hmm, a romantic present… I think you need to go looking for a romantic friend of yours and ask their opinion about this. What do you think?"

"Sure," the redhead nodded as he pondered who to go to next. "But who?"

"So, a romantic friend…" Kyoko nodded.

"Maybe Yuuko-san?"

"Well… I think she is more passionate than one would expect, but she's not the romantic type," Kyoko stated.

"How about Arata?"

"Exactly…" the detective nodded. "You wouldn't think so, but I'd say he's quite the romantic. I think he's in Akihabara…" she smirked. "Go and ask him about a romantic present."

"I wonder what his answer will be," Takumi thoughtfully stated as he left.

* * *

"Sanada Arata, I have something I need to ask of you," Takumi grinned as he got down to one knee.

"Oh, you've got a question for me?" Arata raised an eyebrow at the red-haired boy. "Then what're you being so formal for?"

"Will you," Takumi reached for the older boy's hand, "help me find a romantic gift that a girl might like?"

"Huh? You're looking for a romantic present for a girl?" the raven-haired boy frowned as he pulled Takumi up to his feet.

"Yeah, romantic," Takumi nodded. "You know, like red roses and candlelit dinners? That sort of thing."

"Romantic!?" Arata chuckled at that. "Pff, that's kinda old-fashioned, don't you think? Anyway, why are you specifically asking me this?" he frowned.

"Because you're a romantic yourself!" Takumi answered with a bright smile on his face.

"Huh? I'm a romantic?" Arata blinked at the younger teen. "What are you talking about!?" he asked as his face went red.

"That's what Kyoko-san said, really," Takumi explained.

"What? You're here at Kyoko-san's behest?" the hacker frowned as he wondered what that woman was up to. "I can't think of why she would say such a thing…" he muttered. "Hmm…" he crossed his arms. "Romantic you say…" He closed his eyes to give it some thought.

"Any ideas?"

"That's it!" he smirked.

"What's it?" Takumi asked.

"How about something like poison and a dagger?" Arata suggested with a smirk.

"No way!" Takumi frowned at him.

"What with the face? It would be such a romantic present!" Arata shook his head.

"How?"

"You know, like Romeo and Juliet? You've heard of them, right?" the older boy chuckled.

"I know about them, but… I was hoping for an answer that wouldn't be based off a romantic _tragedy_ ," Takumi crossed his arms.

"So it's one of Shakespeare's tragedies about the forbidden love of Romeo and Juliet…" Arata shrugged. "Romeo thinks that Juliet has died so he drinks poison and kills himself… But Juliet is actually alive and when she sees that Romeo is dead, she takes a dagger and sticks it in her own heart. So what do you think? Romantic, right?"

"Sure, it's romantic… sort of… but that's not the type of thing a girl would appreciate as a gift!"

"Well, I don't know," Arata smirked. "There's just something touching about such a profound and dramatic gesture…"

"That's still a bit morbid…" Takumi closed his eyes and brought his hand up to his chin as he considered what to do now.

"It's a romantic present and that's that!" Arata defended his position.

"You really are strange," Takumi sighed.

The older boy stared back at him before laughing. "It's a joke! Just a joke! You're the one who labeled me a weirdo. I was just getting back at you!"

"I'm working an important case here! You can at least try to give me a useful answer, Arata!" Takumi scolded him as he placed his hands on his hips. "I can't just go back to Kyoko-san and tell our client to buy a dagger and poison!"

"Hmm…" Arata crossed his arms as he truly considered it for a moment. "A romantic present… How about a ticket to a theme park? Have you never heard that memories are better than possessions? Ride the rides, see the parades, kiss underneath a starry sky… Girls like that kind of stuff, right?"

"Do they?" Takumi thought it over. "Well, it does sound romantic. I'll discuss it back at the office."

* * *

"Wow… Going to a theme park, kissing under a starry sky…" Kyoko chuckled at Arata's answer. "Just as I thought, he's quite the romantic." She looked up at their picky client. "What do you think? Should they enjoy a date at a theme park?" she asked her assistant.

"It definitely sounds nice," Takumi smiled.

"Hmm, uh, a date…" Ryota frowned as he crossed his arms. "A date…" He shook his head at them. "I feel like going on a date should be the next step. First, I'd like to get her a present that really grabs her."

"Hmm… You sure do have a lot of conditions…" Kyoko noticed.

"Actually, I've been thinking," Ryota lifted his gaze from the table. "I'd rather the present wasn't too unusual… Something simple but elegant!"

"That sounds nice too," Takumi nodded. "Something simple enough to let your emotions shine through but elegant enough to grab Sakura's attention and cherish it forever."

"Hmm…" Kyoko thought it over herself. "Actually, you have a good point there, but 'simple but elegant' is a bit ambiguous."

"Okay then, I've got to go to my job!" Ryota exclaimed. "Please go on. I'll speak with you later!"

Kyoko watched the brunet leave again and sighed. "It's the third time he's done that. I guess I should be used to it by now, but I don't get why he keeps leaving us to do all the work!"

"He's our client," Takumi shrugged. "And I'm used to this anyways, considering you to this to me all the time, not that I complain about it much."

The detective decided to ignore her assistant's little complaint. "So, something 'simple but elegant'… She's not 'simple', but there's only one friend of yours who I can think of who could give you that kind of advice…"

"Hm? I have a friend like that?" Takumi thought it over. "So… Yuuko-san?"

"Yeah, it looks like she's at Kamishiro right now…" Kyoko smirked at the redhead. "Please go and ask her about something 'simple but elegant'. She should be able to tell you something useful, anyway."

"Alright, sure," the boy nodded.

"Don't forget to be professional about it," Kyoko teased him, "my youthful assistant."

"But of course," Takumi smirked at the woman's goading. "Yuuko-san is our ever important client and must be treated as such. Still… I wonder how she's feeling today… Will I be able to see that adorably sweet smile of hers again?"

* * *

Yuuko jumped when someone suddenly tapped her on the shoulder. She glared at the person when she noticed it was just Takumi. "While our relationship may fall within the bounds of 'friendship', to touch me so brazenly is…" she paused when she noticed the red-haired boy wore a small apologetic smile on his face.

"S-sorry… I didn't think you'd actually consider us to be friends, Yuuko-san," Takumi admitted to her while averting his gaze.

"W-we're not!" Yuuko quickly corrected herself. "We are…" she frowned as she didn't really what term to use to describe their relationship. "Acquaintances…?"

"Business associates?" Takumi suggested.

"Yes," the girl nodded and smiled at the boy. "That's it, exactly. We are business associates." She blinked when she wondered why he was here. "Ah…? You've got something… to ask me?"

"Oh, that's right," he nodded. "Do you know of something simple and elegant I can give to someone as a gift?"

"Huh? You're looking for something simple and delicious, or…?"

"Delicious…?" Takumi tilted his head to the side.

"Oh, sorry," Yuuko lowered her gaze out of embarrassment. "You said 'simple and elegant'. My bad…"

"It's fine," Takumi chuckled. "Personally, I also think a good gift should be delicious." Takumi noticed her smiling at that but she quickly brought her hand up to cover it. "So, does anything come to mind?"

Yuuko closed her eyes and pondered his request. "Um, what do you mean, exactly?" she asked him, looking up at the taller boy. "Please explain it in a bit more detail…"

"Are you sure?" Takumi wryly smiled. "It's a bit of a long story…" Yuuko patiently nodded to him and the redhead explained it as best as he could. "So my friend submitted a case to the agency because he was having trouble finding a gift for the girl he likes… I already brought up a couple of suggestions that ranged from something girly like a necklace to romantic like a date, but he rejected them saying the gift should be simple and elegant."

"Of course," Yuuko nodded in understanding, "you're looking for something a girl would like… I get it now. But…" Yuuko looked away from the Cyber Sleuth. "I don't think that's the best plan…"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Takumi asked her.

"For starters, it's a present for someone that's been picked out by someone who doesn't know them," Yuuko told him.

"Ah… you're right…" Takumi frowned.

"The gift-giver needs to think about what the recipient might like…" Yuuko continued. "What might make her happy? Think seriously. Consider it. Ponder it. Mull it over and then choose the best possible present… That's what giving a present is all about," she gently smiled at the kind-hearted boy. "It's not what you get. It's the time and energy spent thinking about what might make the other person happy. That's the present's true value."

Takumi smiled back at her and nodded his head. "Yeah…" He chuckled to himself. "I guess I got swept away by Ryota's thoughts and feelings for Sakura and ended up forgetting that fact…"

"Please tell this client who can't decide on a present to think as carefully as he can about the person he wants to give the gift to," the raven-haired girl told him with a nod.

"Yeah, thanks for the advice, Yuuko-san," Takumi gratefully smiled at her. He paused for a moment and averted his gaze. "But how about you? What would you consider to be the best possible present someone can give you?"

"Huh? Me?" Yuuko also looked away from him. "What would make me happy? Hmm, that's a good question…"

"Would it be alright for me to hazard a guess?" Takumi asked. "I'll write down my answer of what I think it is and show it to you after you answer, okay?" Yuuko nodded but still didn't look at him. Takumi didn't mind as his smile grew. He quickly jotted down his guess and hid the slip of paper behind him. "Alright, I'm ready."

"Onigiri!" Yuuko firmly stated.

"Eh!?" Takumi paused at that.

"That's really what I'd want," Yuuko simply stated, "Onigiri… made with love. A nice, big onigiri…"

"Ah…" the redhead wore a crooked smile as he continued to stare at her.

"What?" she lowered her gaze and frowned. "Onigiri's no good?" She stared at the slip of paper the boy held behind his back. "What was your answer?"

Takumi frowned to himself and closed his eyes. "I'd… rather not say…" he said with a wry chuckle.

Curious, Yuuko reached behind him and grabbed it from him. "Eh!?" Her eyes widened at his response. "Bento…?"

The Cyber Sleuth nervously backed away from her. "It's not that strange of an answer, is it? That's just the type of gift I'd make for someone who I'd want to impress… Or what I'd want if someone was trying to impress me… A home-made bento specifically arranged with care with all sorts of delicious foods in it…" He quickly brought a hand up to his drooling mouth. "Ah… I'm getting hungry just thinking about it…"

"Hm?" Yuuko stared at Takumi's reddening face. "I see," she smiled at the boy. "It sounds both simple and delicious," she nodded.

The two awkwardly stood together in silence before Takumi quickly cleared his throat. "I-I'd better get back to the office," the Cyber Sleuth stated. "The sooner I make my report, the sooner I can go on my lunch break." He crossed his arms as he considered what he wanted to try today. "I could probably go for curry rice…"

The raven-haired girl brought her hand up to her mouth. "That sounds nice," she mused. "Can I join you?"

Takumi tensed up at that. "Like as a date…!?"

"Eh!?" the girl stared at him in surprise before chuckling. "Your jokes always seem to fall flat, don't they, Takumi-san?"

The Cyber Sleuth nervously laughed off his tension. "S-sure…? B-but, uh… you… want to come along?"

"Why? Is something the matter?" Yuuko frowned at him, wondering why he was so fidgety. "We went out for a meal before as business associates. This time… we can go as friends." She lowered her gaze and smiled. "Meals always taste a lot better with others…"

"Y-yeah…" Takumi blushed as he thought so too. "Um… Well then… I'll let you know when I'm ready. I'll… see you later… Yuuko-san…"

* * *

Kyoko brought her hand up to her mouth as she considered Yuuko's response. "She said that the time spent thinking about the best possible present was the true gift? Hmm, she has a point there…"

"Woooow! Of course!" Ryota nodded as he crossed his arms. "That's it! That's exactly what I should do! I'll think about it, seriously and on my own! I'll think about what would make Sakura happiest!" The brunet cheerfully rose to his feet. "Okay! Thanks, Takumi and Kyoko-san! Woohoo!" He quickly took off from the agency.

Kyoko stared at the door in silence before a smile appeared on her face. "Does he really need to go off running and shouting like that…?" Kyoko crossed her arms. "And where the hell is he going, anyway?"

Takumi chuckled at his friend's simple-mindedness. "Who knows?"

"Youth is wasted on the young," Kyoko chuckled.

"Do you really think so, Kyoko-san?" her assistant asked with a laugh.

"Hm?" the detective studied her assistant carefully. "You're also so full of youthful vigor…" she noticed.

"Eh!?" Takumi tensed up at that. "I-is it that obvious?"

Kyoko chuckled at the teenage boy. "I'm curious to see how this budding romance turns out in the end. I wish him the best of luck out there in courting her…"

"Yeah," the redhead nodded. "Ryota will need it."

"The same goes for you as well," the detective smirked. "Although, I highly doubt you need any luck in this sort of thing."

"Nope!" Takumi grinned. "Now if you'll excuse me, Kyoko-san, I'm going out for lunch with a friend!"

* * *

~LA~MISSEL~

Takumi blinked at the unknown Caller ID on his Digivice. "Hello?" he cautiously answered.

Yuugo's face suddenly showed up on the display. "I need to discuss Nokia… of Rebellions," he stated with a slight frown on his face. "Can you come to EDEN?"

"Um… I'm a bit busy with work right now, Yuugo," the Cyber Sleuth frowned at him. "And you never usually request things like this…"

"I understand," the Zaxon leader nodded. "I will send a formal request to your office concerning this matter."

"That's not what I—" Takumi blinked as the light-haired boy suddenly hung up. The redhead shrugged it off as he decided to take the case. "Besides… there's something I want to ask Yuugo about…"

* * *

 _Client: Yuugo_

 _Place: Zaxon Forum_

 _Details: I have some concerns about Nokia. There is something I need to ask you…_

Takumi put the note away as he spotted the light-haired boy waiting for him. "So you wanted to talk, Yuugo?"

"Thank you for coming," Yuugo curtly greeted the redhead with a nod. "How is the Cyber Sleuth business going for you?"

"It's good," Takumi smiled. "I'm not really a hacker, but I'm not really an officer. It's a good balance I have between freedom and the law."

"I see…" Yuugo fell silent as he studied the Cyber Sleuth's face.

When he didn't say anything else, Takumi began to frown. "So… you mentioned something about Nokia…?" he nervously scratched his cheek.

"Ah, sorry," Yuugo apologized. "That was what I sent the request about. Okay, I'll get straight to the point. I… want you to put an end to Nokia's activities with Rebellions."

"Eh!?" Takumi blinked at the legendary hacker. "Yuugo…!"

"Do you understand?" the boy coolly asked, placing his hand on his hip. "Her existence is nothing but an annoyance to me. I want to unite all the hackers once more under my leadership and restore order to EDEN."

"Wouldn't it be better for you both to team up?" Takumi suggested. "You want to protect EDEN while she wants to protect the Digimon. They're not mutually exclusive, Yuugo. You should know that. I'm doing both, aren't I?"

"It would be better to cooperate?" Yuugo frowned at the soft-hearted boy. "Of course you'd say that…" He brought his hand up to his mouth. The Zaxon leader remained silent for a while before curiously glancing up at Takumi. "This world… This EDEN… Do you like it?" he asked.

"Hm?" Takumi tilted his head to the side. "I don't really know what you're asking, but… I like EDEN. It's a community that allows people and Digimon to connect with each other. In this world, you're never alone…"

"I see…" Yuugo smiled at the boy's answer. "I love EDEN, too," he nodded.

Takumi smiled back. "Of course you do, Yuugo… It's obvious from your actions. It's why I can't help but worry about you."

The light-haired boy chuckled at his friend's observations. "How about we go for a short walk?" Yuugo suggested. "I want to feel more at one with EDEN…"

"Sure," the Cyber Sleuth nodded.

"Right. Let's go to the EDEN Community Area…"

* * *

Yuugo took a look around the area and spotted an empty area for him to speak with Takumi. "There… How about we talk on that bench?"

"Alright," Takumi nodded. "But… I want to ask around about something first. Will that be okay?"

The light-haired hacker curiously raised an eyebrow at the redhead but nodded his head. He watched as the Cyber Sleuth began asking the people around them if they liked EDEN too.

"Everyone always says that people in EDEN just lie about who they are and you can never know their true intentions, but…" a girl began, "People aren't bound by the ties of their real lives here, so actually they can say how they really feel. That's why I love EDEN."

"Huh? Do I like EDEN?" a man blinked at Takumi in surprise. "Whether I like it or not, it has become an integral part of life now and it has made my life easier."

"Do I like EDEN? That's a stupid question," an old man scoffed. "I used to be skeptical of the virtual world, but since my retirement EDEN has completely changed my life. In EDEN, I can leave my worldly, restrictive body behind and do whatever I wish. In the real world I was a late-bloomer and never got the girls, but here in EDEN I'm a hottie! I have ten girlfriends!" he laughed.

"I reeeeeally love EDEN!" a girl stated. "My best friend moved away so I couldn't see her, but here in EDEN I can play with her right away!"

When the two boys had heard enough, Yuugo looked out over the terrace of the Community Area. "Hmm… Just as I thought," he stated with a smile. "It is indeed a good place."

Takumi noticed the far-off glint in the boy's light grey eyes. "Yuugo…"

"Do you know why EDEN was created?" he asked Takumi as he turned to face the detective's assistant.

"No," Takumi shook his head.

"EDEN was created to set the mind free," Yuugo told him. "This world is the pursuit of a dream to free the self from the shackles of the earthly body…" he stated as he stared down at his avatar's body. "EDEN is a truly unique place where people are freed from the obligations of their everyday lives, where they can express their true selves."

Takumi let it sink in as he stared down at his own half-cyber body. "I see…"

"The developers of EDEN worked themselves to the bone trying to achieve such an ideal world," Yuugo continued. "The developers passed their enthusiasm on to the users and EDEN became a haven for the virtuous as they gathered here. But what has become of EDEN now?" he sadly asked. "The hackers are on a rampage, oppressing the weak with their evil will. Such are the reports flooding in. This world is in turmoil. EDEN as it is now is not how it was supposed to be…" he shook his head. "Not at all."

"When you put it that way," Takumi clenched his right hand and placed it over his heart. "No, it isn't…" he agreed.

"I understand them, the developers who poured their hearts and souls into the great ideal that EDEN represents," the Zaxon leader stated. "So for that reason I want to protect EDEN. More than that, it is my duty to do so." He seriously frowned to himself. "I will preserve their legacy."

"Yuugo…" Takumi looked up at the light-haired boy. "That's not a burden you can carry on your own… Why not ask me for help? Or even Nokia. If you explain this to her—"

Yuugo shook his head at Takumi. "Nokia is a good kid," he stated. "She genuinely loves EDEN and Digimon, from the bottom of her heart. The hackers… well, tamers really… who follow her… They are the same as her."

"Then why not rely on them?" Takumi asked.

"I don't want to get them mixed up in any of this…" Yuugo replied, bringing his hand to his forehead. "Myself and those self-centered, egotistical hackers are the only ones who should be at risk."

Takumi frowned at him as he understood what the hacker was trying to say. The Cyber Sleuth was the same after all, but he couldn't completely agree with the Zaxon leader's methods. "Yuugo…"

"You are the only one who can stop her…" Yuugo steadily gazed into the Cyber Sleuth's blue eyes. "Please… I need you to convince her."

Takumi lowered his gaze. "Let me think on it…"

"Just the answer I'd expect from you…" the Zaxon leader wore a gentle smile. "You get my point, but you can't abandon Nokia, is that it?" He gazed at Takumi with a soft expression. "You are very kind. You always were, even back then…"

"When do you mean?" Takumi asked with a sad smile of his own.

Yuugo chuckled at the fond memories he had of the irregular hacker. "There was the time you saved those three Digimon… And that time you sneaked into the head office of Kamishiro… Even then you were always running around concerned for everyone else. We really are alike…"

Takumi chuckled at that. "But still… we are different… Yuugo, you don't have to—" he paused when his Digivice began to ring. He quickly picked up in case it was urgent.

"Uh… um… Takumi, isn't it?" a strange tamer appeared on the screen.

"That's right," Takumi nodded. "Are you a Rebellions Tamer?"

The boy nodded. "I tried to contact Nokia, but it seems she was caught up inviting someone to join us, so I didn't get through to her. She said I should contact you if I was ever in trouble. I'm in a bit of trouble here… I'm in Cron. Please, come and help me!" He panicked and looked away from the screen. "What!? Wait… No… Stop… Wahhhh!"

The call quickly ended and Yuugo frowned at the message. "It seems like an emergency… Aren't you going to help him?"

"Of course," Takumi nodded.

"I'll come too," Yuugo stated before the two of them set out for EDEN's underworld.

* * *

"Ah… wait, no… that hurts!" the Rebellions Tamer cried out. "Stop!" he screamed.

"Huh!?" the ferocious hacker attacking him scowled. "Don't say such selfish things! You're talkin' outta your ass!"

"What!? N-no…"

"Don't lie to me! You called me a 'has-been hacker', didn't you!?"

"Eh, no, it wasn't me. I didn't do anything!" the Tamer shook his head. "I… I didn't say anything about you!" He spotted two boys running towards them and brightened at the sight of the Cyber Sleuth. "Ah! Takumi!? And… is that Yuugo from Zaxon?" He shook his head as that didn't really matter right now. "P-please help! I was just trying to help out Nokia by getting this has-been hacker to join us, but… well… then this happened!"

"Whaat!?" the hacker frowned at the Tamer.

"Ahh! Takumi! Yuugo! Help!"

Yuugo coolly studied at the hacker before them. "A has-been hacker, eh?"

"Huh? Yuugo?" Takumi blinked at the Zaxon leader beside him.

"We will need to change with the times too, I suppose…" Yuugo put on a small smirk.

"Y-you're going to stand up for that little shrimp…?" the hacker blinked at Yuugo in disbelief. "He was mocking us hackers!"

"So what?" Yuugo asked. "If what that little shrimp blurted out is enough to hurt your pride then I guess your pride is pretty easily hurt, don't you think?"

"Whaaat!? What are you talking about!?" the hacker frowned at Yuugo. "Now you're mocking me too!?"

"I could easily smash a pathetic poser like you to pieces," Yuugo narrowed his eyes. "Come on. Let's go!"

"I don't care if they call you a living legend…" the hacker glared back. "That… that's just a load of hot air!"

"Takumi, let's do it," Yuugo glanced over to the Cyber Sleuth.

The redhead nodded as he readied his team. "Ready when you are, Yuugo."

"Bring it on!" the ferocious hacker roared.

"Mugendramon!" Yuugo sent out his mechanical dragon. "Booster Claw!" His Digimon immediately responded by stabbing his arm into one of the hacker's Digimon.

"Ankylomon! Shake it off!"

The large spiky Digimon struggled against Mugendramon's claw before leaping into the air. "Megaton Press!"

"Garuru Kick!" WereGarurumon (Black) leapt into the air too and kicked the heavy Digimon away.

Takumi scanned the other two Digimon on the field and smirked as he didn't need to rotate his team to face off against the Okuwamon and MegaSeadramon. "Rapidmon! Take care of Okuwamon! MetalGreymon (Virus)! Use Giga Destroyer!"

MetalGreymon (Virus) roared as he fired off his organic missiles. As MegaSeadramon was busy dealing with the attacks, the large dinosaur quickly charged forward. "Metal Slash!"

In the air, Okuwamon dodged Rapidmon's attacks before trembling in rage. "Destructive Impulse!" The large bug began thrashing about in the air.

Rapidmon quickly backed away before forming his triangular barrier. "Golden Triangle!" Okuwamon was knocked back by the blast, allowing the cyborg poodle to take aim at the large beetle with both his arm cannons. "Rapid Fire!"

Yuugo nodded as Okuwamon crashed onto Ankylomon. Glancing towards MegaSeadramon, the Zaxon leader smirked as MetalGreymon (Virus) lifted the sea snake up before tossing him towards the others. "Mugendramon!" Yuugo called out to his Digimon. "Let's end this."

The Ultimate growled as his eyes and cannon lit up. "Mugen Cannon!"

The ferocious hacker began trembling as his team was utterly decimated by that one attack. "S-so… this… this is the power of Yuugo of Zaxon… He's on a whole different level from me!"

"You have the ability to change," Yuugo nodded at the hacker, "to improve. If you want, you can visit the Zaxon forum. Our door is open to everyone."

The hacker studied Yuugo for a moment before walking away without another word. Takumi crossed his arms as that show of power did more than just sway the hacker. The Cyber Sleuth chuckled and shook his head at his friend. "Impressive as always, Yuugo."

The tamer they rescued nodded in agreement. "Just what I'd expect from Yuugo of Zaxon. Demonic strength and an ability to bring new members in with ease… It would have been better to do this with Nokia…" he sighed.

"Tell me," Yuugo studied the Rebellions Tamer. "Why did you join her Rebellions team?"

"Huh? Why?" the tamer blinked at him. "Um… well, I… I suppose it's because Nokia is honest."

"Honest?" Yuugo knit his eyebrows together.

"I like EDEN. Actually, to be honest it's more than that. I'm a complete EDEN fanatic," the tamer smiled. "I hate what EDEN has become. So I wanted to do something about it, but… I had no idea what I should do… I was lost… Nokia is protecting EDEN and the Digimon in her own straightforward and honest way. When I saw this, I felt like a fool. Like I needed to do something, anything. So I decided I would help Nokia with her simple, honest approach!"

Yuugo considered the boy's answer but said nothing.

The tamer blinked when his Digivice began to ring. "Huh!? Ah, speak of the devil, I'm getting a call from Nokia! I… I've got to go and take this!" he quickly walked away as he answered his phone.

"It doesn't look like we can stop her," Yuugo finally concluded with a small smile. "Takumi, I have a favor to ask of you," he looked over to the Cyber Sleuth.

"What is it?" Takumi tilted his head to the side.

"Could you please protect her? Nokia, I mean."

The Cyber Sleuth seriously nodded. "Who else could you mean?" he asked with a smile.

Yuugo chuckled and smiled at the soft-hearted boy. "You and I really are similar."

"In what way?"

"We're being led on a wild-goose chase," the Zaxon leader responded.

"Is that so?" Takumi chuckled. He paused as he felt something strange from the boy's avatar again. "Hm?" Takumi knit his eyebrows together.

Yuugo must have sensed it too since he quickly turned away from the red-haired boy. "Yes, we're very much the same, you and I… That's why I can't ask you to join me." The legendary hacker closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "But please be ready," Yuugo told Takumi. "Next time we meet we will be enemies." Without another word, he left the Cyber Sleuth alone in Cron.

Takumi frowned at the hacker's parting words. "Yuugo… You're really intent on doing this yourself…" He closed his eyes and sighed as he didn't really get a chance to ask his question, but in the end, he might have gotten his answer anyways. "Yuugo… now I know what it is about you that's bothering me…" He opened his eyes and sadly stared at his gloved hand. "You're also caught in EDEN's dream…"

* * *

"He asked you to protect her?" Kyoko asked Takumi.

"Yeah…" Takumi sighed. "Despite him saying we're similar, I seriously don't know what he's thinking."

"At first the case was just to hinder her activities, wasn't it?" the detective recalled. "That boy is confused… From what I'm hearing from your story it sounds like his feelings for EDEN and sense of duty are just teenage angst…" She chuckled as that was what marked Yuugo to be completely different from Takumi. "Well, that's good."

"Huh?" Takumi looked up at that.

"Most people are not moved by mere words," she told him. "The possible events of the future should propel you forward."

"I see," the boy nodded. "You're saying that even if I do have to face against him, I shouldn't hold back…"

Kyoko nodded to him. "Anyway, the boy paid us our fee. Honest and proper, that. He may be a little confused, but he was raised right."

"Yeah," Takumi chuckled. "I can sense that coming from him since we really are so similar…"

"Actually, it's probably because he is so well raised that he is confused," Kyoko mused. "In that respect, the two of you seem to be complete opposites."

"That's also true," the redhead wore a sad smile. "That's why we'll have to face each other. I won't let Yuugo continue on his path alone. I'll show him the strength he's taught me but hasn't quite learned himself. He was the one who introduced me to my Digimon after all…" Takumi stared at his gloved hand before clenching it into a fist. "Yeah… I've made up my mind. Even if he doesn't want me to, I'll help him in the only way I know I can."

Kyoko smiled at level-headed teenager. "You manage to attract quite the diverse group of people," she noticed. "You don't know how rare that is in a detective to have that trait. It's probably your ability to draw in others' fates at play again, but I'm certain you'll be fine."

"So long as I have friends like you and my Digimon who believe that much in me," Takumi nodded, "I know I will be, Kyoko-san."

* * *

 **Final Notes:** You know... besides shipping Takumi with Yuuko, I also ship him with Yuugo. Because Yuugo is awesome. And they complement each other pretty well. I seriously wish he showed up a lot more than he actually does. But anyway, Nokia is the first of the main cast, besides Yuugo, to evolve her Digimon to Ultimate. I mean... Takumi should have Ultimates at this point, but... since I don't really spend time raising my Digimon in my playthrough, Takumi doesn't get a full team of Ultimates until later. No matter... A team of Perfects is still viable. None of the battles are particularly difficult anyways. Even fighting against other Ultimates is simple. But I think it makes sense to give Nokia Ultimates before Takumi. She really begins to surpass him as a protagonist around this point. At the very least, she's caught up to him. And then Ryota's case... It's a nice break from all the hacker drama and you really do get a good feel for the personalities of all of Takumi's friends. Yuuko really is too cute sometimes... Although... Takumi is still a bit too formal around her... Also... when Kyoko described Takumi as worldly, I looked it up and there are two definitions: "sophisticated" and "concerned with ordinary life rather than spiritual existence". I take it Kyoko was referring to the first meaning, since Takumi is pretty mature for a high school boy and he's quite the philosopher, especially with Kyoko. I don't know what the original Japanese was, but I'm sure it made more sense than "worldly". As for Nokia and Arata, I completely expected that to be Nokia's answer, but Arata... I actually took his first answer seriously... Imagine my relief when he finally said it was just all a joke... Still, the cool poser really is a dorky romantic...


	17. To the Promised Land

**Author's Notes:** Whoo! Persona 5 was just released yesterday and I'm kinda watching my sister play it. It feels a lot different, but I like it so far. I'll get around to playing it eventually. I'm still trying to finish Cyber Sleuth after all... Right now, I'm trying to raise a proper team to face Lucemon... Strangely enough, this is the only battle I'm having trouble with in this entire game... Damn Pride... Wait... The 7 Sins are also pretty big in Persona 5... Anyway, here is where everything takes a turn for the drastic.

* * *

Yuugo opened his eyes and stared at the audience before him from atop his stage. "Hackers of Zaxon, of Cron…" he shook his head, "No, of all EDEN! I ask you this! Are you free? Free from involvement… Free from interference… Free from monitoring… Do such freedoms exist in EDEN today?" He paused and looked out over the hackers gathered in Zaxon's forum room. "And what about EDEN's prototype, the birthplace of us hackers, our holy land: Under Zero? It's a space idealized by the creator of this Digital World, much freer, offering a better life," he continued before bringing a hand up to his forehead and frowning. "But Under Zero was seized when EDEN was launched and turned into an unmanned server to control information. Now, it is nothing more than a fortress, outfitted with the toughest security in the world. Under Zero—our ideal home—is now on the oldest of EDEN's servers, the Valhalla server. We hackers are going to take back our Utopia!" he declared, "To bring a new order to EDEN! To release it from a 'freedom' filled with monitoring and interference," he concluded.

The hackers began cheering in support of him. Fei watched their leader from behind as she stood near the back of the stage. She smiled as the charismatic Zaxon legend continued rallying hackers to their cause.

"We of Zaxon hereby declare the reclamation of our holy land, Under Zero!" Yuugo boldly exclaimed in his usual calm way. "If there are any who share in our aspirations, then join us! For Under Zero!" The light-haired hacker dismissed his team as they began to spread the word throughout all of EDEN. Yuugo closed his eyes as he could sense the imminent change approaching to his beloved world.

"Now that was certainly somethin'," Fei told him when they were left alone in the forum. "That was quite the impassioned speech. I reckon you'll make a fine boss some day."

Yuugo opened his eyes and frowned to himself as he brought a hand to his forehead. "If it'll save EDEN, I'll put on whatever performance I have to, no matter how foolish. Even if I have to resort to tall tales and legends," he told his most trusted confidant. "If I can just get to Under Zero, I can redo all of this." He lowered his arm and placed his hand at his hip. "I can recreate EDEN as its creator originally envisioned."

Fei loyally nodded to him. "I reckon your wish'll come true, Yuugo-han. And I'll be with ya every step of the way," she smiled.

Yuugo closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He could still feel the rapidly approaching storm that was to sweep EDEN coming. Inspired by his speech, the hackers began to make their way to Under Zero, their holy land. But let's rewind things a bit.

* * *

Takumi stared at the whiteboard and frowned when there were no new cases available. He blinked though when his Digivice began to ring. "Aiba Takumi speaking."

"Oh, it's me, it's me!" Nokia smiled at him. "Are you busy? No, I didn't think you would be. We're all getting together at the EDEN Free Area."

"Well, I don't have any active cases right now," Takumi shrugged. "I guess I can stop by. Did you need something?"

"What to bring…? Oh yeah!" she nodded. "Your nerve and your friendship for Digimon!"

The redhead laughed at that. "Alright then."

"Okay, see you there!" Nokia brightly smirked at him. "And if you're late, Akkino Hellsmash will see you in the hospital!"

"Akkino… Hellsmash…?" Takumi closed his eyes and sighed. "Just what is that?" He looked over towards Kyoko at her desk. "Well, I'm off to the EDEN Free Area," he told the detective.

"Oh? Nokia-kun is calling for you again?" she looked up from her screen. She frowned a bit as she mulled something over. "It looks like EDEN is in the midst of turmoil…"

"Eh?" Takumi blinked at her. "Is there an emergency I should be aware of?"

"You heard me, didn't you? Get to EDEN," she told him. "Something's causing trouble, so be careful."

"Alright, I understand," her assistant nodded before taking off.

* * *

"Jeez! You're always so late!" Nokia frowned at Takumi as he arrived. "What is it? Something or other? Working on boss-man time!?"

"H-hey… I wasn't that late…" Takumi nervously scratched his cheek.

"There, there, Nokia," Wargreymon nodded. "Maybe go easy on him this time."

"You've got a point," Nokia nodded at her Digimon. "After all, Takumi is an important aid to Rebellions. I guess maybe I could let things slide."

"So what am I here for again?" Takumi asked.

Nokia smiled as she turned towards the group of tamers gathered in the room. "All right, everyone! Here's my helper for today's training! The unstoppable Cyber Sleuth and new Super Hacker: Takumi the Golden Maniac!"

"E-eh!?" Takumi's blue eyes widened in surprise as he was suddenly surrounded by tamers.

"Takumi the Golden Maniac?" a hot-blooded boy cried. "The one who took down that strange hacker group, the Demons!?"

"Takumi the Golden Maniac?" a cheeky boy smirked and crossed his arms. "The gifted hacker that successfully managed to infiltrate Kamishiro!?"

"That's right!" Nokia nodded and proudly crossed her arms at her friend's accomplishments. "That's Takumi the Golden Maniac. My total bestie and finest, fiercest confidant!" She turned towards Takumi with smile. "What do you think?" she asked her team. "Who better to help train Rebellions? All right, go on then, Takumi the Golden Maniac!"

"Eh!?" Takumi frowned as the hot-blooded tamer stepped towards him. "W-what…!?"

"Okay, I'll go first!" the tamer cried. "Here we go!"

Takumi's eyes widened as he sensed an impending battle. "W-wait…!" The tamer didn't seem to listen though as he sent a Nanomon and a large red beetle Digimon out to attack. "Rapidmon! WereGarurumon (Black)!" The Cyber Sleuth's two fastest Digimon quickly countered the hot-blooded boy's team as the red-haired teen jumped back to safety.

"Plug Bomb!" Nanomon released bombs from his fingertips but MetalGreymon (Virus) countered with his own Giga Destroyer attack.

"AtlurKabuterimon! Use your Horn Buster!" the tamer called out to the giant red beetle.

Takumi frowned as AtlurKabuterimon rammed into both of his Virus Digimon. "Ah, so it's a Vaccine." He quickly called Rapidmon over. "Cover them as they switch out with Lilimon and Knightmon!"

"Rapid Fire!" Rapidmon quickly fired homing missiles towards Nanomon, quickly taking out the small robot. He tried attacking AtlurKabuterimon next, but the insect's sturdy shell and sheer bulk made it difficult to tell if his attacks were having any effect.

"Rhino Charge!" the AtlurKabuterimon used its horn to flip Rapidmon up into the air. The cyborg poodle tried to regain his bearings but the larger Digimon began charging his horn. "Mega Blaster!"

"Rapidmon!" Takumi took out a recovery patch and threw it towards his Digimon as the rest of his team finished loading.

"Flower Cannon!"

Knightmon lifted his Berserk Sword up carefully before slashing it through the air. "The Duel!" A spinning blade of air combined with Lilimon's attack and AtlurKabuterimon fell to the ground.

Takumi let out a relieved sigh as the sudden battle was now over. He frowned as he nervously looked over at the rest of the tamers lined up to battle against him. "Uh…"

Nokia giggled at the results. "Way to go, Gold Mani," she smiled. "But we're just warming up."

"Okay, I guess I'm next…" a cheeky boy smirked.

"Wait, give me a moment," Takumi sighed as he closed his eyes. He placed his hands on hips and shook his head. "I need a moment to take this all in…"

"Nokia…" MetalGarurumon looked towards the red-haired girl.

"Yeah?" Nokia blinked at him.

"It seems like Takumi's been kind of lost in all this," the mechanical wolf noticed. "Are you sure you explained everything properly?"

"Um, well, I chose the nickname Golden Maniac from the way he looks…" she smiled as she glanced towards the boy's odd fashion sense. "And then Gold Mani was just an obvious cool, abbreviation of that…"

"Not that!" MetalGarurumon shook his head. "I'm talking about the training!"

"What? I explained it… didn't I?" she looked towards Takumi. "Right?"

Takumi sighed. "No… you didn't…"

"What? I didn't explain?" Her face went red as she sheepishly smirked at the exploitable teen. "Well, shoot! You should have said something! You're too quiet for your own good, Takumi!"

"I'm pretty sure that's not the problem here," Takumi shook his head with a small smile on his face.

MetalGarurumon gave the boy an apologetic smile. "What we wanted, Takumi, was for you to train them for battle skills!"

WarGreymon nodded. "So they'd be stronger against those nasty hackers!"

"That's not all," Nokia added.

"Is there more?" Takumi tilted his head to the side.

"The point of the training is not just strength!"

The blue-eyed boy blinked at her in surprise. "Then…!"

"It's also to deepen our bonds with our Digimon!" she nodded. "They're sort of like our hot springs ping-pong matches and our all-night karaoke!"

"You've lost me again…"

"If we can pull through those kinds of events, we should be able to achieve true power, beyond brute strength!" Nokia declared.

"And I'm caught up…" Takumi nodded.

"And with that power, we can help the Digimon being misused by hackers, in order to make EDEN a home for us all!" She brightly grinned as she hugged WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon. "We of Rebellions hereby declare our decision to begin the Love-Love Digimon Initiative!"

"Love-Love… Digimon…" Takumi stared at the girl oddly.

"And you'll join us to train us for this transcendental dream!" Nokia cried. "Right, Golden Maniac?"

"Can you not call me that?" Takumi asked her as he closed his eyes and placed his hands on his hips.

"Finally!" a tamer in the back cried out. "Such an impassioned speech! Akkino's bursting with power and devotion!"

"It's fun getting tossed about by the tsunami of her power," a boy nodded as he crossed his arms. "This is what true charisma is!"

"Um…" Takumi frowned. "I don't think…" he opened his eyes when he sensed someone nearby. "Hm? Yuugo…"

The light-haired leader of Zaxon simply stared at the group of motley tamers. Nokia tensed up as she noticed him too. "Oh! It's… Y-y-y-y-yu… Y-y-Yuugo!"

"So this is your dream?" Yuugo asked her. "And these hackers," he glanced at the mismatched crew, "they're your team?"

"Wh-what are you here for?" Nokia glared at him. "Has the leader of Zaxon come to c-c-crush Rebellions!?"

"If you were a threat to Zaxon, then that might be an option for me to consider," Yuugo simply told her.

"Yuugo," Takumi frowned at him in warning.

The grey-eyed boy lifted his gaze towards the Cyber Sleuth and slightly raised an eyebrow at him. Seeing as it was too soon for the two boys to be facing each other, Yuugo decided to let things drop for now. "But from the look of things, there doesn't appear to be any need of that," he stated, much to Takumi's relief.

"Wh-wh-what do you mean by that!?" Nokia indignantly asked. "Are you saying we're still noobs!? You think you can just look down your nose at us? You want to test our power, then?"

"Nokia, stop," Takumi sternly told her. "This is Yuugo you're dealing with. He's on a level even higher than Fei and you remember the last time you tried to go against her."

"What?" the girl paused. "Well, sure we were beaten silly last time by that Fei girl. But do we just take that lying down!?"

"But, Nokia," MetalGarurumon studied the Zaxon leader, "Yuugo isn't a bad hacker, is he?"

"I sort of get the impression that he's not," WarGreymon nodded.

"Of course, he's not," Takumi said with a small smile.

"Your Digimon sure do talk a lot," Yuugo smirked.

"Yuugo!" Nokia knit her eyebrows together. "You're a hacker group leader. Hackers will listen to you! Tell them!" she pleaded. "Tell them Digimon are not just programs!"

"There's something else I need to tell the hackers," he frowned at her. "Your speech was inspiring, though."

"What!?" Nokia didn't expect the boy to be praising her.

"Nokia…" Yuugo lowered his gaze. "If at all possible, I would rather not fight you. Just don't interfere with me or Zaxon," he warned her before leaving the Free Area.

"Hey, hang on a sec, Yuugo!" Nokia called out to him. "Are you planning something!? Hey! Hang on!"

Takumi frowned to himself as Yuugo had been wearing the same expression Yuuko did right after his last operation at Kamishiro Enterprise. _You've already made up your mind then…_ He let out a heavy sigh as he knew the day he would have to face Yuugo was coming a lot sooner than he would have liked. _That's fine since so have I… Whatever happens, I'll do my best to help you, even if it means having to go against you… I'll wake you from your dream, Yuugo. For_ her _sake…_

* * *

Yuugo's transmission replayed once more. "We hackers are going to take back our Utopia!" he boldly stated. "We of Zaxon are going to declare the reclamation of our holy land, Under Zero! If any of you share in our aspirations, then join us! For Under Zero!"

Kishibe smiled as the playback ended. "Oh my… Things are coming along nicely!"

"You've pushed them all to the edge very well," Suedou praised her. "Now it's down to her to do her part. I'll drop the security level a little to increase their sense of accomplishment. They should easily reach their goal now."

"Excellent, Akemi-chan!" Kishibe smiled at him. "You are a master strategist! But I'm glad. I was worried that I had pushed her too far and she might have snapped…" she momentarily frowned.

Suedou chortled at the thought. "To stimulate the passion of youngsters such as these… We have such excellent motivational tools: pressures from the authorities, family ties, and despair itself," he smirked. "Youngsters are wonderful! The frustration, dreams, and hopes they get from a gloom-filled society! And the more pressure of despair you add, the more you sublimate it into a vibrant passion! So very bright! It dazzles my eyes!" He chuckled a bit before it suddenly turned into a maniacal laugh. When he was done, he let out a pleased sigh. "How'd I look?" he asked the woman smiling at him. "Did I get the 'villain' thing right just now?"

"Oohoo!" Kishibe brought her index finger up and lightly rested it on her bottom lip. "That's what I love about you, Akemi-chan! And now, we just sit back and wait for them to get completely violent with each other! All as I have planned, of course!" She began cheerfully laughing before it also turned maniacal.

* * *

Arata crossed his arms and sympathetically frowned at the yawning redhead sitting across from him at K-Café. "So, you were training with them all night long? You're too much of an easy mark," he sighed.

"You think so?" Takumi crookedly smiled as he scratched his cheek. "It's not like I could have said no… Nokia is really serious about Rebellions."

"You'll never have enough time for Nokia," Arata shook his head. "She'll use you up and spit you out. No thank you."

"Hey! You're here, you're here!" Nokia called out as she entered the café.

"Ah…!" Takumi tensed up as he didn't expect she would find him so quickly.

"Oh, and we have Arata as a bonus!" Nokia smiled at the raven-haired teen frowning at her.

"What do mean 'as a bonus'?" he asked, turning his head away from her.

"Have you heard?" Nokia bounced up and down with a huge smile on her face. "Zaxon is on board with the Under Zero invasion!"

"Yeah, it seems that's all the hacker community can talk about now," Arata stated.

"Did you know, Arata, that Under Zero is a hacker holy land? You probably don't care, though," she crossed her arms and smirked at him.

"What? A holy land?" Arata shook his head. "Don't be absurd. It's just an old, outmoded area on some old, outmoded server."

"But you should see the look in their eyes when they talk about it," Nokia said. "Actually, there are some among Rebellions who have taken special training and want to show off. They're planning to join in."

"Well, the leader being who she is," Arata began as he slipped his hands into his pockets, "it's no wonder the simple-minded are coming together."

"Harumph!" Nokia glared at him before looking over towards the Cyber Sleuth slightly dozing off. "Whaddya say, Takumi? Do you wanna go take on Under Zero too?"

"Eh!?" Takumi straightened up in his seat and Arata sharply looked at him in alarm too. "A-ah…" the blue-eyed boy frowned. "N-not really… I don't really have a reason to…"

"It'd be like climbing a mountain because it's there. Or crashing through a wall because it's there!" Nokia tried to convince him. "And this could be a chance to raise our public awareness level, what with my having formed the Tamer group and all," she pointed out. "If Rebellions manages to beat Zaxon in breaking into Under Zero, we'll rocket to superstardom! And then we could promote our—"

"Quit it while you're ahead!" Arata sharply exploded.

Nokia gasped at his sudden outburst and Takumi snapped his head towards the older boy. "Arata…" the Cyber Sleuth frowned as it was unlike the raven-haired teen to snap like that.

"That's not the place newbies like you are going to be able to reach," Arata seriously stated, hiding his mouth behind the collar of his jacket. "You'll be beaten at your own game."

"Whoa, whoa, hey!" Nokia frowned at him. "Who're you calling a newbie!? We've piled on the special training to become extra-strong! Right, Takumi!?"

"That's not really enough…" Takumi tried to tell her.

"Fine!" she turned towards the exit. "I'll go by myself! And I'll definitely get in before Zaxon does!"

"Nokia…!" Takumi stood from his seat to chase after her.

"Leave her be," Arata frowned. "If she gets herself hurt running off half-cocked, it's her own fault."

"Arata…" the red-haired teen lowered his gaze and frowned at the floor. Arata said nothing else as he crossed his arms. "We can't just leave her," Takumi continued. He sensed the older boy wanted to do something too. "This is Nokia we're talking about here," the Cyber Sleuth pointed out. "She _will_ get hurt if we don't interfere…"

"Oh, damn it!" Arata shook his head as he got up too. "Forget it! We're going after her!"

"Eh!?" Takumi was a bit surprised by the older boy's sudden change in attitude.

"Under Zero is way too dangerous," the hacker frowned. "If things go the way they did last time…"

"Last time…?" Takumi tilted his head to the side. "Wait… Are you saying you tried to break in before? Arata—"

"Anyway, we have to go after Nokia," Arata shook his head at the younger boy. "I've got a little 'prep work' to do first. Let's meet in EDEN!" The raven-haired teen quickly ran out of the café without another word.

Takumi smiled as he watched Arata leave. He placed his hands at his hips and nodded to himself. "I'd better let Kyoko-san know I'll be back late today."

* * *

"Hmph…" Kyoko frowned as Takumi relayed to her the current events of his friends. "I've got a bad feeling about this. And any good detective knows to trust their gut. It won't hurt to act cautiously," she told him.

"I know," Takumi nodded. "This all feels like a trap somehow. I—or rather my body—can sense it…"

The detective carefully studied her half-cyber assistant. "It seems we have no choice but to continue forward though. I'll be watching over you from here. I'll notify you immediately of any changes I detect. For now, go assist Arata with stopping Nokia."

"What about Yuugo?"

The woman looked straight into the boy's blue eyes. "You already made up your mind with him, haven't you?"

Takumi pursed his lips together as he remembered there was something important he had to tell the hacker. "Alright, Kyoko-san," the soft-hearted Cyber Sleuth nodded. "I understand. Please leave this to me."

* * *

Takumi lifted his gaze when he saw Arata finally arrive. "Alright, I'm ready to go," the Cyber Sleuth stated.

Arata nodded to him. "As always, Nokia is moving ahead on impulse alone. It looks like she's gotten quite far, too. The other hackers have gotten into the Valhalla server and are heading for Under Zero."

"Eh? Under Zero is in the Valhalla server?" Takumi blinked.

The older boy nodded but frowned. "Something doesn't smell right, though."

"What do you mean?" Takumi tilted his head to the side.

"The Valhalla server shouldn't have gone down so fast," he explained. "Either Yuugo invited us in or someone else did. Either way, it reeks of a trap."

"So you think so, too," the Cyber Sleuth brought his hand up to his mouth. "We'd better hurry after her."

Arata shook his head. "We won't catch up with Nokia taking the direct route, but there is a shortcut." He quickly sent the younger boy a new URL.

"What's this?"

"This is a secret passage my comrades and I dug out way back when. I…" Arata looked away from Takumi. "We took down Valhalla once before."

"You did!?" the Cyber Sleuth blinked at the boy in surprise.

"We can reminisce later," Arata frowned. "We'd better hurry and get to the Valhalla server!"

"R-right!" Takumi nodded before following the older teen to the terminal.

* * *

Takumi frowned as the Valhalla server had a completely different atmosphere compared to the Avalon server. For starters, things seemed a bit darker and foreboding. The Cyber Sleuth gulped as he quickly searched for Nokia and Yuugo.

"Okay," Arata crossed his arms. "Where's Nokia?" He shook his head and started forward. "It doesn't look like she's around here. We'll just have to press on and look for her." The two teens hurried through the server, disabling the security and hacking their way further into the dark cyberspace before they finally caught up to Nokia and her two Digimon.

"That looks like Under Zero!" the red-haired girl smirked. "Yuugo and the others must have made it already! Hurry it up, Rebellions! Let's do this!"

"You've really outdone yourself, you little hellion," Arata sighed as he slipped his hands into his pockets. "I'm just glad things haven't gone any further than they have."

WarGreymon turned around and smiled at the two boys following them. "Ah! Takumi and Arata!"

"You're coming with us, too?" MetalGaraurumon asked.

"You guys?" Nokia frowned at her two friends. "Hey, what gives!? You're too late to stop me, you know!" Her frown deepened as a thought came to her. "Oh, NOW I get it! You were gonna have me go in there first, take out the baddies, and then waltz in and nab all the goodies for yourselves! You sneaky, no-good rotten manipulating cowards! I'm not letting you do that! No way, nuh-uh!"

"It's nothing like that. Jeez," Arata shook his head. "Just calm down. I just don't want you anywhere near Under Zero." He quickly pulled something out from his jacket.

"Ah!" MetalGarurumon's eyes widened when he saw the slab of meat the raven-haired boy was holding.

"T-that's…!" WarGreymon was also stunned to see it.

"It's juicy meat on the bone from JAJA…" Arata smirked at the Digimon.

"From JAJA…?" MetalGarurumon drooled.

"Juicy meat!?" WarGreymon gulped.

"It's a legendary meat that only certain celebrities are allowed to eat," Arata explained. The starving Digimon tensed up, ready to pounce on the boy for it. The raven-haired boy smiled as he taunted them with it. "You want some? I know you do…" He quickly turned around and chucked the meat as far as he could. "Here you go!"

Both simpleminded Ultimate Digimon let out a roar as they hurried after it. "Mmmeeeaaattt!"

Nokia blinked as her two Digimon ran off without her. "Hey! Where are you going!? W-wait up, you guys!"

"U-uh…" Takumi crookedly smiled at what just happened. "That was actually very effective…"

"Hmph…" Arata shook his head. "She's so naïve. This is why I say she's just a collection of single-celled organisms." He became serious once more and stared at the path ahead of them. "Okay, then… We've come this far," he crossed his arms. "There's no turning back now."

Takumi nervously looked up at his friend. "Don't tell me you want to break into Under Zero…"

The older boy smirked. "Along the way, I'll stop Yuugo and Zaxon, too. You're with me, aren't you, Takumi?"

The redhead seriously stared at the road leading further in. "Yuugo…" He gave Arata a determined nod. "Yeah…"

"Because we gotta do this!" Arata nodded back with a bright smile.

* * *

Yuugo frowned at the small number of people gathered around him. "Are these the only hackers who have made it this far?" he asked Fei. "There's fewer than I expected."

"I heard that frumpy brat's voice back there," Fei scowled. "I reckon she must've gotten them to stay behind."

"Nokia…" Yuugo muttered.

"Okey-dokey, Yuugo-han," Fei smiled at him. "This here firewall's the final bit of security."

Yuugo nodded as he prepared to face what was behind the secure network. "Once I break through security, the truth behind EDEN will be mine and I will personally be able to restore order."

"You'll be the leader of the hackers for sure," Fei encouraged him. "No, of all of EDEN!"

"The leader of EDEN?" Arata smirked at that as he called out to them from behind. "Don't make me laugh!"

Yuugo turned towards the intruder in surprise. He spotted Takumi behind the older hacker and frowned. "Takumi!"

"Yuugo…" Takumi nodded to him with a serious frown on his face.

"Lookie here," Fei crossed her arms as she faced them. "I was wondering who that was. Well, well, if it isn't Arata, former leader of Jude." She sneered at the old legend. "Say, wasn't it your team that had a go at Under Zero all those years ago and failed before finally disbanding in disgrace?"

"Heh, you know your stuff," Arata coolly stared at her.

"Be a good dog like the loser you are," she told him. "Run along home now. Git."

"Yeah, we failed all right," Arata shrugged, "but it wasn't the security that did us in." He crossed his arms and frowned at the locked prism behind them. "Right after we broke through, something attacked us. Before we knew what was happening, we had our accounts destroyed and lost access to EDEN."

"E-eh!?" Takumi blinked at the prism. "Arata…?"

"That… thing was nowhere near as easy as the security was," the raven-haired boy grit his teeth together. "Some of my buddies, they went crazy from the fear. Even the guys that were okay, they saw what they were up against and lost confidence in themselves. They quit being hackers, so I disbanded the team."

Yuugo frowned as he placed hand on his hip. He looked over towards Takumi and knew this only furthered the Cyber Sleuth's resolve to stop him. Takumi noticed his gaze and flashed him a small apologetic smile.

"I came to warn you," Arata continued. "Keep away from Under Zero if you don't want to see your friends hurt."

Yuugo shook his head before addressing the older hacker. "What proof do you have that this story is true? Your coming here out of concern for our well-being lacks a little in the convincing department."

"The truth is," Arata shrugged, "I came to stop that idiot Nokia. But then I couldn't just stand by and let that thing prey upon you guys, too," he shook his head. "It's not right."

"Even if what you say is true," Yuugo continued, frowning at the redhead staring at him, "I have my reasons for not being to stop now. Even knowing the risks I face, there's something I must obtain…"

"Yuugo…" Takumi frowned at him. The Cyber Sleuth had been hoping to be able to get through to the stubborn hacker given their shared affinities.

"Yeah!" Fei's smile grew. "Get your nose out of our business! I'm right sick of lookin' at your face. Take a hike!" She laughed as the Zaxon hackers behind them prepared for a skirmish.

Arata chuckled at her. "You think I came here with just the two of us? You're so naïve!" He crossed his arms as he heard footsteps coming towards them.

Takumi blinked as more hackers arrived. "Arata…!?"

"Sorry to have kept you in the dark about this," the raven-haired boy lowered his face into his collar. "These guys are my old buddies, the former members of Jude."

Fei stared at the group in surprise. "What!?"

"I've brought together my old teammates who broke into Under Zero once before for one last rumble," Arata said, making a fist. "It looks like we've got a little fight on our hands."

Fei laughed at his boldness. "You're a funny one!" She began trembling in anticipation of crushing the former hacking team. "We'll defeat your 'legendary' team of has-been hackers, 'cuz we're the top dogs of EDEN now. Not you!"

Takumi clenched his fists. "I didn't mean to get involved in a hacking team war, but it looks like I've got no choice," he frowned to himself. "Yuugo! I hope you're ready!"

"Even if this isn't what either of us want, don't think I'll hold back against you, Takumi," Yuugo coolly stated, narrowing his eyes on the irregular hacker.

"Haaaaaang on a second!" another voice called out to them. The four teenagers turned towards Nokia as she came rushing to the battlefield with her own group of hackers. "To stamp out selfish evil for the sake of the world, for people, and for Digimon…" She glared at both Zaxon and Jude. "We are Rebellions! A bridge of hope, here now, uniting both Digimon and humans! Let there be no more talk of has-been hacker teams and the 'top dogs' of EDEN without me! You hackers who push Digimon around! Listen up!" she crossed her arms. "Digimon are not just mere programs. They are life forms in and of themselves! You must release your Digimon immediately and embrace them as friends!"

Arata stared at her in disbelief and sighed. Yuugo blankly blinked at the girl. Takumi placed his hands on his hips before shaking his head at his friend's sense of timing. "Nokia…"

"The one thing you're good at, as always," Fei shook her head, "is suckin' all the energy out of a room, you frumpy little brat."

Yuugo rested his right hand on his hip as he studied the three-way hacker team war about to unfold. "It seems neither side is willing to back down."

"Hmph," Fei crossed her arms. "That'll make this simple, then. I reckon the last team standing wins, right?" she smirked.

"If that's how it's gonna be, then you're on," Arata scowled.

"I'm ready!" Nokia glared at Fei. "There's no way I'm losing! Now, attack!" she cried.

Takumi flinched as the hackers around them quickly called out their Digimon to attack each other. He frowned as this was exactly the type of situation he had been trying to avoid by not picking a hacker team. The Cyber Sleuth frowned as he forced himself to stand against Zaxon. "Yuugo!" Takumi frowned at the boy who had introduced him to his Digimon. "I need you to stop this! This type of chaos won't save anyone! Not EDEN or the Digimon!"

Arata shook his head at the soft-hearted boy. "Hey, Takumi! There's no longer any point in talking. We'll have to use force." He crossed his arms and frowned at Yuugo. "If we win, you'll settle down and listen to us. Deal?"

"Very well," Yuugo calmly replied. "I don't plan on losing though."

"Heh," Arata smirked at the cheeky boy. "You always have to get the last word!"

"Says you!" Yuugo braced himself for battle.

"Yuugo…" Takumi frowned but he prepared his team against Mugendramon. "Everyone… Don't hold back!"

"Let's begin," the light-haired boy's grey eyes flashed as Mugendramon took the first attack. "Logon!"

Mugendramon's eyes flashed as it locked on to the four Digimon rushing towards it. "Mugen Cannon!"

"Lilimon! Switch out!" Takumi quickly loaded the Data Digimon before she could get hurt. Rapidmon and Andromon took the hit but quickly shook it off before continuing ahead.

"Rapid Fire!"

"Spiral Sword!"

Mugendramon roared as it took the attacks. "Booster Claw!"

Arata smirked before calling out to his Digimon. "Infermon!"

Infermon laughed as he grabbed the mechanical dragon's outstretched arm with his tentacles. He opened his mouth began firing. "Hell's Grenade!"

"Mugen Cannon!" Mugendramon fired his cannon again but faltered as he was forced to reboot.

"Now's our chance!" Arata growled. "Takumi!"

"Everyone! Go!" the Cyber Sleuth quickly applied a health spray on his team. Rapidmon and Andromon began assaulting the downed dragon but even in its weakened state, the sturdy Ultimate endured.

Monzaemon finally finished loading and joined the two other Vaccines. "Boom Boom Punch!"

Yuugo closed his eyes while his Digimon recovered its strength. When he opened them again, his Mugendramon was finally up. "Mugendramon," the boy calmly called out. "Use Catastrophe D."

Takumi's eyes widened as the powerful Digimon was charging up more than his cannon. He didn't need his Digivice to scan it as his body sensed that this next attack was even more devastating than its Mugen Cannon. "Arata! Put up your guard!"

"Right!" the raven-haired boy frowned. "Cocoon Guard!" Infermon brought his limbs closer to his body.

Mugendramon's eyes flashed and it let out a fierce roar as missiles fired out from all over its body. "Catastrophe D!"

Takumi winced as his team did their best to take the hits, but even with their advantage against the metal Virus, the three Vaccines collapsed to the ground. "Everyone!" the redhead quickly ran towards them with a health spray in his hand. He jumped back as Mugendramon suddenly towered over him.

"What did you think you could do against an Ultimate with just a team of Perfects?" Yuugo asked the Cyber Sleuth. "Mugendramon…"

"Hey, Yuugo! You're going too far!" Arata cried out. "Infermon! Get Takumi out of there!" Infermon quickly threw himself into the great Ultimate for its Cocoon Attack. Takumi flinched as the massive Digimon toppled backwards before quickly using the chance to move. Arata shook his head at his friend. "Hey! Takumi! Get back here!"

"I told myself I would face you," Takumi frowned as he helped his Digimon to their feet, "Even though you were the one to introduce them to me…"

"You truly are softer than me," Yuugo frowned at the redhead. "Such weakness is bound to be your downfall. That's why I can't afford to show you mercy." His eyes quickly darted to his Digimon. "Mugendramon!"

"Mugen Cannon!"

"Rapidmon!" Takumi stood his ground and faced the attack ahead on as his fastest Vaccine Digimon rushed forward.

"Golden Triangle!" Both attacks fiercely collided into each other and Rapidmon fought to deflect the powerful impact. Mugendramon roared as it focused on crushing the cyborg poodle.

Infermon used the opening to his advantage. "Hell's Grenade!"

"You can't expect to win with numbers alone," Yuugo frowned at the irregular hacker. "Logon!" he ordered his Digimon. Mugendramon locked his cannons onto Takumi and his team.

"Hey, Takumi!" Arata cried out.

Takumi shook his head. "We have more than just numbers, Yuugo. I believe my team will defeat you!"

"Then show me," Yuugo frowned. "Catastrophe D!"

"Xros Combo!" Takumi called out to his Digimon.

"Golden Triangle!" Rapidmon quickly countered the mechanical dragon's attack again.

Andromon launched his missiles from behind his ally. "Gatling Missile!"

"Lovely Attack!" Monzaemon jumped into the air and released a barrage of hearts at Mugendramon.

Overwhelmed by all three Perfects, Mugendramon let out a screeching groan before shutting down. Arata smirked at the victory and quickly had Infermon corner the Zaxon leader. "So we won after all," the raven-haired boy chuckled.

"You seem to still have it," Yuugo praised the veteran hacker for managing to trap him.

"Ha, you too," Arata relaxed as it didn't seem Yuugo had any other Digimon in reserve.

Yuugo looked around and noticed his team of hackers was slowly but surely being defeated by the combined forces of Jude and Rebellions. He brought a hand up to his forehead at the surprising turn of events. "I thought you old-school hackers wouldn't know how to use Digimon programs."

"We've got a geek-class specialist in Digimon work," Arata shrugged. "It's very important to have… well, you know," he shook his head. "And of course, you can't just go around underestimating this crazy kid here," he smirked at the redhead standing beside him.

"W-well…" Takumi crookedly smiled at that as he scratched his cheek. "There was something I had to get across to Yuugo since we're the same…"

Arata rolled his eyes at that before glancing toward their other friend. "We also have a real pain-in-the-butt," he said with crossed arms.

"Hm?" Takumi turned to see who he was referring to. "Ah! Nokia!"

The red-haired girl was still at it with Fei. "As I said, Digimon are not programs!" Nokia cried. "How many times do I have to tell you!?"

"It doesn't matter," Fei frowned at her. "We ain't interested. I only care about one thing and that's Yuugo-han." She paused as she looked over towards the light-haired hacker with a devoted smile on her face. "Yuugo is my everything. To know Yuugo… to protect Yuugo… That is my purpose in life. All I want is Yuugo-han. Just her…"

"Wow," Nokia gave Fei a crooked smile. "I didn't know you COULD be sincere! In spite of your gross personality, that was kinda sweet!" She blinked. "Huh? 'Her'?"

"I just noticed something," Fei frowned back at Nokia. "You and me are a lot alike."

"What? Hang—hang on!" Nokia was taken aback by that. "What are you talking about? Kn-knock it off with that nonsense!"

"Great minds hate alike," Fei continued.

"What!? What do you mean by that?"

"That's enough chitchat," Fei shook her head. "I doubt you're much different from before. I'll tan your hide! Ready?"

Nokia glared at her as WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon tensed up at her sides. "I took a crash course and beefed up my skills!" the redhead exclaimed. "It won't go down as easily as last time!"

"So you say," Fei smirked. "I'll mess y'all up, you frumpy brat!" Behind her, TigerVespamon quickly darted forward. "Royal Meister!"

"Brave Shield!" WarGreymon quickly stepped forward to protect Nokia.

MetalGarurumon howled as he pounced on the speedy bee-colored warrior. "Metal Fang!"

WarGreymon prepared to help his partner but quickly rose into the air when he spotted two other Digimon targeting them. Fei laughed as she gave out her orders to them. "Hououmon, Sakuyamon, playtime is over!"

"Starlight Explosion!" Hououmon's body began to light up before an explosion knocked WarGreymon out of the air.

"WarGreymon!" MetalGarurumon quickly caught his friend on his back and tried to jump to safety, but Sakuyamon intercepted him.

The God Man Digimon spun its staff around before striking the weapon to the ground. "Kongoukai Mandala!"

Nokia winced as both her Digimon let out pained cries as they were caught in the purification barrier. "WarGreymon… MetalGarurumon…"

"So much for trainin' and bonds," Fei smirked at her as she crossed her arms. "What bunk! Yer nothin' but talk. An' cheap talk at that!" she laughed. "It's over. Bye-bye!"

TigerVespamon charged towards the fallen Ultimate Digimon. "Mach Stinger V!"

Nokia tensed up as she refused to be defeated here. "N-no… No, this is not over! Not our hot springs ping-pong matches! Not our all-night karaoke!" She glared at Fei as she let out a yell. "And not the Love-Love Digimon Initiative to the Max! It's about to begin. Right. Now!"

"Eh!?" Fei's eyes widened as it looked like the redhead had an ace up her sleeve after all.

Nokia let out a cry and held up her shining Digivice into the air. "WarGreymon!" The Dragon Man Digimon's body turned into flames and his glowing helmet rose into the air. "MetalGarurumon!" The mechanical wolf howled as his body became ice. "Let's go!" The two Digimon quickly merged together into a regal white knight with a long billowing cape. His left arm was comprised of WarGreymon's Brave Shield and helmet while his left seemed to be made from MetalGarurumon's face. Nokia and the new Digimon stood with their arms crossed as the girl smirked at Fei.

The brunette blinked at the sudden evolution. "What—what just—?"

Nokia laughed. "Did you see? The miracle that the bond between me and my Digimon just made happen?" She paused before turning around at the new Digimon in surprise. "Eh…? Whaaaaat!? WarGreymon! MetalGarurumon! What—what happened to you guys!?"

"Get out…" Fei frowned at her. "You whipped out that Digivice like the cat what ate the canary… You sayin' that was just a wing an' a prayer?"

"I am Omegamon," the regal Digimon spoke. "I was summoned by the pure bond of friendship"

"Y-y-yeah, yeah, of course! You sure were!" Nokia smirked. "Just like I knew was going to happen! Because I totally knew it the whole time!" she boastfully lied. "Alright, Fei," she glared back at her opponent. "No more Ms. Nice Guy! This time, you're going down!"

Omegamon nodded in agreement as he cast aside his red mantle. "Grey Sword!" A large sword emerged from WarGreymon's head and Omegamon swung it without hesitation. Hououmon was immediately felled by the slash but Sakuyamon and TigerVespamon caught the blade with their weapons. Both Digimon struggled under the great Super Ultimate's strength though and Omegamon raised his free arm towards them. MetalGarurumon's mouth opened, revealing a cannon and it quickly began to charge up. "Garuru Cannon!" Omegamon fired as he pushed his opponents away with his Grey Sword.

"I c-can't believe it…" Fei gasped as she fell to her knees. She didn't think that one Digimon could completely level her team so easily.

"Fei…" Yuugo watched the carnage and shook his head in disbelief. "What on earth is that Digimon?"

"Well, it seems we have a winner," Arata said with a cross of his arms. "Or do you want to keep going?"

Takumi stepped towards defeated hacker. "It's over now…" He held out his hand to the light-haired boy. "Let it go, Yuugo… I know you only just want to protect EDEN, but I told you before this isn't something you can do alone." Takumi stared into the Zaxon leader's grey eyes. "I'm sure this isn't what your family would want, Yuugo.."

Yuugo's eyes widened at his words and he quickly slapped aside the Cyber Sleuth's outstretched hand. "Why do you have to interfere!?" he angrily asked the nosy redhead. "I just want to save the world that was my father's dream!" His grey eyes brimmed with hot tears as he glared at Takumi.

Takumi's blue eyes widened in surprise at the other boy's sudden change in demeanor. "Ah…! Y-yuu…?"

"Hey, hey, what's going on?" Arata frowned. "Your mannerisms are suddenly all feminine. What's all this about your father?"

The Cyber Sleuth stared at the grey-eyed hacker before him. "Kamishiro Yuugo…" he quietly muttered. Yuugo's eyes widened as he stared back at the blue-eyed teen. "I had thought you were Kamishiro Yuugo… a victim of EDEN Syndrome with symptoms similar to me… but you're not really him… Are you, Yuu—?" He tensed up when a woman's voice began cackling around them.

"All right, all right, all riiiight!" a sickeningly sweet voice echoed throughout the server room. "That's enough!"

Arata gasped as he realized who it was. "Kishibe!"

"You've done a great job! I really admire you, sweetie!" the woman continued to laugh.

"Rie-san!?" The Zaxon hacker's face began to fill with confusion and fear.

"Why don't you just go put your feet up? Your part in this is over now," Kishibe told the boy. "Your role as Yuugo was to bring everyone here! And according to our scenario, once everyone is here, what comes next?"

Takumi tensed up as the Digital Waves around him distorted. He let out painful cry as multiple Eaters appeared around them. Their sudden arrival was extremely nauseating and the redhead found himself suddenly down on one knee. "M-my… body…" he groaned.

"What is this?" Arata asked as the Eaters took down the hackers around them one by one. "What's going on here!?"

Kishibe laughed at the ensuing panic and chaos as the Eaters continued their buffet. "You little hackers are _really_ stupid! You had no idea you were being played this whole time. You just blithely came along for the ride! I'm going to take your unripe mental energy… and squeeze and squeeze every last drop. All. For. Me!"

Takumi panted as he fought off the waves of nausea continuing to wash over him. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before sensing an incoming transmission from the detective agency. "Kyoko-san…!" he gasped as he forced himself to rise to his feet.

"Ever—on—right?" Static poured out from the display screen as Kyoko's voice tried to reach them. "Can you—hear—voice?"

"Kyoko-san!" Nokia worriedly called out to her.

Takumi winced as he used his abilities to stabilize the connection. "Kyoko-san!"

"It seems I finally got through," the woman gravely nodded to the red-haired boy. "I don't think I have long though," she stated, noticing the pained look on her assistant's face as he focused on keeping the call's connection stable.

"What's going on!?" Nokia asked. "What the heck is this?"

"As far as I can tell, someone has sent a high-density Digital Wave to your area," Kyoko explained.

"Someone?" Arata crossed his arms. "It's got to be Kishibe. What do we actually DO about it?"

"The answer is relatively simple," Kyoko told them. "Eaters are attracted to Digital Waves. That being the case, you have to stop the Digital Wave at its source. Do that and no more Eaters should appear."

"You make it sound easy," Arata frowned. "Just plug up the source. How do we manage that!?"

"We'll get it done… somehow!" Takumi stated, shoving aside all thoughts of his discomfort.

"I don't understand what's going on," Nokia began with a fearful expression on her face, "but I'm not letting myself getting swallowed up by nothing! What's happening!?" She closed her eyes and shook her head. "Help!" she screamed.

"Argh! Shut up!" Arata snapped at her. "I'll explain later, so just shut it!"

"Kyoko-san!" Takumi wore a determined expression on his face as his bright blue eyes focused on the detective. "Just leave this to us!"

Kyoko chuckled at her ever reliable assistant. "No matter what condition y—are in, you al—ys move at—same pace. I'm a little relieved…" Takumi smirked back at her before he winced. "You sh—be able to—t out of th—tight spot. I'll have a pot of my special ble—waiting. Make sure you come b—safely."

"Understood!" Takumi told her before cutting the call. He took a moment to catch his breath as keeping the connection up took a lot more out of him than he had thought it would.

"Her special blend?" Arata crookedly smirked. "Is that what she said? I'm so happy I could cry."

"Never mind that," Takumi shook his head before searching around them. "We've got to move!"

Fei looked around the area with a frown. "The source of the Digital Wave?" She quickly spotted something strange above them. "I think that's it."

"For the time being, let's have a temporary truce!" Nokia exclaimed. "We've got to plug that hole!"

"Let's go!" Takumi nodded as he quickly took the lead and started for the massive distortion. Everyone else followed after him, except for Yuugo.

"Rie-san…" the light-haired teen wore a disturbed frown and shook his head. "Why? Why would you do this?"

"This isn't the time to be fretting about that!" Nokia called out to the Zaxon leader.

"That's right," Omegamon nodded. "If the Eaters keep spreading, we'll be in danger too."

"GaruruGreymon!" Nokia quickly turned to the powerful Digimon. "Any ideas?"

"Garuru…Grey…mon?" Omegamon stared down at his new form with a confused frown.

"Since MetalGarurumon and WarGreymon merged, your name should be GaruruGreymon! Or do you prefer GreyGarurumon?"

"I am Omegamon," the Digimon shook his head. "You can call me that."

"Gah! Who cares what you're called right now!?" Arata frowned at the pair. "Do you have any ideas or not?"

"The Eaters are being manipulated by a high-density Digital Wave," Omegamon stated. "In addition to the source, there are connection points feeding the Digital Wave. We'll have to shut them off as well."

"Oh! Look there!" Nokia spotted the strange portal Fei pointed out before. "Up there!"

Takumi winced as he looked up towards it. "Y-yeah…" he groaned as another wave of nausea swept over him. "T-that should be it… But how do we reach it? Omegamon… Can you…?"

"Very well, I will go plug the openings! You two!" Omegamon nodded to Takumi and Arata. "Watch after Nokia for me! Protect her from the Eaters until I return!"

"Of course!" Takumi nodded before preparing his team for a defensive siege.

"Tch," Arata shook his head. "I guess we have no choice!"

"Th-they're here!" Nokia trembled as she stood behind the two boys.

"Let's go!" Arata cried out to Infermon.

"Everyone, hang in there!" Takumi sent his team forward against the horde of Eaters closing in on them.

* * *

Omegamon frowned as more and more Eaters filled the room below him. "We can't keep this up forever," he stated as he tried to block the hole with his MetalGarurumon arm. "It would be better to destroy them. But there's no proof that would stop them. What would you do, Nokia?" he asked himself, looking down at the terrified girl below. He closed his eyes and chuckled. "I know what you'd do, Nokia." He called for his Grey Sword and impulsively destroyed the transmitter. "You'd act before thinking!" He turned around to see the amount of Eaters increasing slowing, but there were still a great number of them surrounding the teens. The white Holy Knight quickly moved on as he began searching for the other holes emitting Digital Waves.

* * *

"Uh-oh," Arata gulped. "They're really starting to outnumber us now."

"Wh-wh-what should we do!?" Nokia asked.

"We have to keep fighting!" Takumi winced again. He paused though when he sensed something strange but familiar appear before them. "Ah…!"

At his side, Yuugo tensed up too. "Ah! That's…"

"What?" Nokia blinked when a ghostly apparition resembling Yuugo but with black hair appeared. "No way! Yuugo?"

"You're kidding me!" Arata shook his head. "But Yuugo's right here!"

The Zaxon leader hesitantly stepped forward towards the raven-haired ghost. "That can't be… Nii-san!?"

The ghostly Yuugo said nothing as he stood between the teenagers and the Eaters. As if he were a repellant force against the monsters, the Eaters began retreating away from the group.

"The Eaters… are fleeing…" Arata stated in disbelief.

The ghost turned towards them and Takumi frowned as he swore the figure was trying to tell them something. He couldn't quite make it out before the light-haired Yuugo tried to run to him. "Nii-san… Nii-san!" Just as he was about to reach the figure, the ghostly Yuugo turned away and disappeared.

"So then that was…" Nokia knit her eyebrows together in confusion, "Yuugo just now? There are two Yuugos? Both of them are Yuugo? What the heck!?"

"Nii-san?" Arata frowned and crossed his arms as he studied the Zaxon hacker.

Takumi ignored his two friends as he tried reaching out to his light-haired friend. "Yuu—" Just as his hand rested on the hacker's shoulder, the two of them let out a pained cry.

Yuugo winced and frowned at his body. "I… Rie-san? What are you…? Stop!" Before anyone knew it, Yuugo suddenly disappeared before them.

"Did he just… log out?" Arata blinked. "Wait. I bet someone in the real world forced him to log out."

"Yuuko-san!" Takumi roared as he performed a Connect Jump before he could lose the signal.

Nokia's eyes widened when the redhead disappeared too. "Now they're BOTH gone!" She worriedly frowned as there was no trace of Takumi or Yuugo left in the network. "Was that a Connect Jump? I've never seen one before."

* * *

Yuuko opened her eyes and blinked a few times as her body readjusted itself to the real world. She tensed up as she saw Kishibe towering over her.

"Oh my, you're awake?" Kishibe smiled at her. "Welcome home, Yuuko-chan!"

The raven-haired girl pushed herself back against her seat in surprise. "R-rie-san!? You were controlling those monsters? Then that means… every EDEN Syndrome case has been because you…"

Kishibe giggled at such a ridiculous thought. "Oh, no. I wasn't doing it all from the very beginning. But I was fascinated by the existence of the Eaters. I knew there was a way to control them if only I looked hard enough! The experiments were a big success!" she giddily exclaimed. "All that's left to do is to tear down the world's walls!"

Yuuko let out a gasp and tried to get up from her seat only to realize she was strapped to a strange terminal. Her eyes widened as it slowly dawned on her that she was trapped.

"And to do that, I'll need your mental data…" Kishibe pressed her fingertips together, "Your memories. Yuuko-chan… Work with me just a little bit longer, okay?" She prepared to place a strange helmet on the girl's head before a strange boy suddenly appeared in the room, shoving her back.

"Y-yuuko-san!" Takumi quickly pushed himself in between the woman and his friend.

"Oh my," Kishibe glared at him. "It's _you_."

"Kishibe…" the redhead tensed up as he didn't really know what to do now. He had performed the Connect Jump on a whim as he thought Yuuko had been in trouble. Now that he was here in this strange spacious room, he didn't quite understand what was going on, but for some reason, a strange sense of fear began to well up within him. "K-kishibe…" He faltered as he realized the dread he was experiencing was emanating from the woman herself.

"It looks like your annoying little friend followed you back," the woman shook her head. She darkly smiled at the precocious boy and pinched his cheek. "That ability of yours is getting to be a tad bit bothersome," she said, her tone becoming sharp. "Would you mind getting out of my hair!?"

Takumi's eyes widened when the woman slightly flickered before him. A pink knight-like figure seemed to replace her as she punched his stomach with her right hand. He let out a painful cry before suddenly disappearing from the room. "Y-yuuko-san…!"

Yuuko gasped once he was gone. "Takumi-san!"

"There," Kishibe wore a satisfied smile. "Now that that nuisance is out of the way…"

"Rie-san!" Yuuko sharply cried out as she fought against her restraints. "What did you do to him!?"

"Now, now, you mustn't move!" the woman grinned at the teen. "You have to relax for your first time, remember?"

Yuuko clenched her teeth together as she wasn't in any position to be worrying about Takumi when she herself could be in danger. She tried to struggle against Kishibe as the woman placed the terminal's helmet over her head.

"What's great about this terminal is that not only can I log into EDEN with any avatar I want…" the CEO giggled, "It creates the personality and imports it as memories into the Digital World. Did you not catch on, Yuuko-chan? You thought you were the real Yuugo when you were logged in as Yuugo? But no," she shook her head and gave the poor orphan a small smile, "I created that personality."

"N-no," Yuuko shook her head. "That was of my own free will…"

"Your own 'free will'?" Kishibe laughed at that. "There's hardly any of that left. If your free will was in charge, you'd never have taken part in that farce to fool all those hackers."

"To fool… the hackers?" Yuuko's eyes widened. "I did that… to those hackers?"

Kishibe nodded and giggled as the girl finally caught on. "In other words, this terminal can spoof your memoires via the Digital World! It can write them in and, of course, extract them." The woman's smile grew as she pulled down the helmet's visors over the girl's eyes. With a sinister giggle, she waltzed to the terminal's outer console and prepared it for Yuuko's memory extraction. "Well, then, shall we begin? I'm going to steal alllll your secrets!"

Yuuko screamed as the machine activated.

* * *

Takumi felt himself land on solid ground and gave himself a moment to catch his breath before opening his eyes. "Kishibe… isn't human…" he gasped as he stared at the road beneath him. He thought back to her punch and the way it felt more like a Digimon's attack than a normal jab. In fact, his entire body was still shaking from the shockwave of the impact. It was a good thing his body wasn't completely normal or else that blow would have killed him. Takumi shook his head as now wasn't the time to focus on that. When he finally managed to calm down a bit, he finally focused on his surroundings. "W-where…?" His mind was racing around too quickly for him to keep up with all of his thoughts and Takumi winced as it only weakened his body even further. He let out a scream until a call suddenly came up without him answering it.

"It seems there have been some rapid developments," Kyoko nodded to him when he finally regained control over his senses.

"K-kyoko-san…" Takumi forcefully tried to give her a wry smile. "I'm sorry if I worried you…"

"Regardless, I'm glad you're okay," she nodded to him. "Watch out for cars."

Takumi tensed up as he heard a truck coming towards him. He quickly pushed himself off the ground and jumped as the reckless driver nearly hit him. The teenager sighed in relief as it seems his body was finally stabilizing. "Th-thanks, Kyoko-san… But about my last Connect Jump…"

"I should be able to calculate Yuuko-san's position from your Digivice's log data. Start by returning to the agency," she directed him. "I'll contact Arata and Nokia."

"But we can't just leave Yuuko-san alone with Kishibe!" Takumi exclaimed. "She's in danger! That woman isn't even human! Kyoko-san, I have to go back!" he adamantly stated.

"Hmm. I understand your excitement," Kyoko stated, bringing her index finger to her forehead. "I suppose it's only natural. Yet now is when you must remain calm." Takumi paused at that and frowned at himself. "You must understand the situation before you act," the detective reminded him.

Takumi closed his eyes and took in a deep breath before forcing himself to calm down and think things through. "Doggedly and with all your might, exhibit endurance like hard black iron," he stated aloud. When he opened them again, he nodded to the blonde woman. "Isn't that right, Kyoko-san?"

Kyoko smiled at him and nodded. "Yes. That is precisely why you are my assistant." She said nothing else as the boy smiled back at her in understanding.

* * *

Nokia frowned as there were so few hackers remaining after that mass Eater attack. "That was really intense…" she absently told Arata.

The boy let out a heavy sigh and closed his eyes. Arata's face was partially hidden by his jacket as he let it all sink in. He shook his head before deciding it was best for him to just leave.

"Arata!" Nokia called out to him in worry.

Arata stopped walking but he lowered his gaze to the floor. "There's a lot I don't understand, but there's one thing I know for sure. I know who the enemy is."

"And?" Nokia asked. "Wh-wh-what do we do about it!?"

"She played us all for fools, mocking our pride," Arata frowned. "I have to avenge our fallen comrades… as a lone hacker."

"Arata…" the redhead frowned as she didn't think his method was quite right.

"See ya," he shook his head as he refused to look at her. "You need to go home," he sternly told her, "before you get in over your head."

Nokia let out a heavy sigh as she watched him walk away. She shook her head though before noticing Omegamon returning to her side. "Oh! GaruruGreymon! Thank you for helping us!"

"I am Omegamon," the Digimon repeated himself, "of the Royal Knights."

"Oh, yeah. It's Omegamon, right," she smiled at him before blinking at the Digimon. "Um, Royal Knights?"

"There's something important I have to tell you," Omegamon smiled back at her. "Once I merged into Omegamon, I was able to remember why I came to this world."

"Something important to tell me?" Nokia blinked at him. "The reason you came to this world?" She shook her head but smiled anyways. "I'm not really following you, but okay! Just leave it all to Nokia!"

"Nokia…" the Digimon's turquoise eyes shone as he stared at his trusted tamer. "It is not just the Digital World that faces a grave danger. The world you live in is threatened as well. You will be involved in a greater fight than the ones you have been embroiled in thus far. Will you lend us your aid?"

"Yeah, of course I will!" Nokia smirked. "Even if the whole entire world is against us and even if something gross falls for my hot bod… I will keep fighting for you as long as my heart goes on!" she nodded.

"Nokia… Thank you," Omegamon nodded. "There is, after all, something… familiar about you."

"Okaaaaay, let's goooo!" Nokia pumped herself up. "Our battle begins now!" She quickly took off with Omegamon towards the exit terminal.

Fei shook her head as she watched the exchange. "Idiot… Talking like that makes it sound more like the end than the beginning," she frowned. After a while she sighed as she looked around at the fallen hackers. "Yuugo… No, Yuuko-han," she worriedly muttered. "I'm begging you, please, be safe."

* * *

 **Final Notes:** So... when I first played... I thought it was kinda obvious Yuugo and Yuuko were siblings. Namely because of their similar character designs and hell, they're names are only one letter off. In Japanese, Yuuko's name is written in kanji though while Yuugo is in katakana, so it's not as obvious, but still, they wear the same wispy material on the collar area of their long-sleeved tops... And they have sorta the same monochrome color scheme and they both sometimes wear the same expressions. What I didn't expect though was that Zaxon Yuugo was Yuuko and ghost Yuugo was Yuugo. I just kinda thought Yuugo had a body like Takumi's so dedicated himself to staying in EDEN to fix things, while avoiding his sister because it would be depressing for her to know he was semi-okay. I mean... you never once meet Yuugo in the real world and of course, he'd obviously keep tabs on Yuuko... but uh... so I was wrong and making things more convoluted than necessary. It still doesn't really change the fact that the leader of Zaxon is amazing. Also... Kishibe is a huge creeper. I kinda feel bad for having her physically assaulting Takumi, but... um... he's fine?


	18. Paradise Lost

**Author's Notes:** With the plot getting serious yesterday, I forgot to comment on Takumi's Knightmon... Since the majority of his team is Virus type Digimon for some reason, it was hard to find suitable Data types for him. Besides Lilimon, I noticed that the only Data evolution for Clockmon was Knightmon. But Knightmon's evolution path is pretty... limited... since he can only become one of three Royal Knights. But anyway, I should probably list out Takumi's current team because even I find it pretty easy to lost track of. His starters are in their respective Perfect forms of Rapidmon, Lilimon, and Andromon... His DLC Digimon are in their proper Perfect forms to as WereGarurumon (Black) and MetalGreymon (Virus), so he ended up losing Tyranomon as a Data type... His Growmon became MegaloGrowmon... Yukidarumon is now Monzaemon... He still hasn't used Tankmon yet, but he's Gigadramon now and I don't think he will use Gigadramon in battle considering he already has a full set of Virus Digimon to use in battle. This makes 4 Viruses, 3 Vaccines, and 2 Data. I still say this is somewhat balanced...

* * *

Kyoko looked up from her monitor as Takumi finally returned. The redhead flashed her a tired smile. "I'm home…"

"You're late," she returned his smile with an encouraging one of her own. "Look at the TV," she nodded to the large screen. "They're covering the Under Zero incident."

Takumi nodded as he took a seat on the sofa and watched the coverage. "So what are they saying this time?"

"The reports are saying the mass outbreak of EDEN Syndrome was caused by hacking activity in EDEN. It's a unilateral indictment against hackers… and of course, there's not a single word on the mastermind, Kishibe." Kyoko leaned back in her seat. "At the very least the scheme paints Kamishiro as the victim and hackers as the perpetrators. Kishibe laid the blame on the hackers and must still be using Kamishiro Yuuko to further the Paradise Lost Plan."

"Ah… She's still focused on that…" Takumi lowered his gaze to the coffee table. "Do you know why Kishibe abducted Yuuko-san?"

"I don't have any clues as to that," Kyoko shook her head. "However, Kishibe's plan must be nearing its climax and Yuuko-san is the key to its final stage."

"Then why was it necessary to sic the Eaters on the hackers?" Takumi asked.

"Kishibe flooded Under Zero with a massive Digital Wave to control the unpredictable Eaters. That must have been just an experiment. Eaters and the Digital Wave," Kyoko mused, "To see whether or not it was possible to control them both. She was able to wipe out the hackers she had been manipulating, so it was two birds with one stone. It turns out you were the bait."

"So the Demons and the EDEN preview… Those had been tests too," Takumi concluded. He clenched his fists when he realized those incidents had just been a prelude to the events at Under Zero.

"Kishibe Rie finally mastered control over the flow of Digital Waves," Kyoko nodded. "This had eluded her until now. The Paradise Lost Plan could start at any moment now. We need to find Kamishiro Yuuko quickly! We'll check your log information for that. At the same time, we must figure out what the true objective of this plan is." The detective brought her hand up to her chin. "What does she achieve by being able to control Digital Waves? That's the crux of the Paradise Lost Plan. We've got data on the latest labyrinth events and new information on Digital Wave flows. If we compare them, we should be able to predict conclusively where Digital Waves will occur. That locus will, in all likelihood, be the focal point of her plan."

"But Kyoko-san…" Takumi frowned. "Don't we already know where that will be?"

She nodded to him but crossed her arms. "Even so, it's best that we compile all that we've learned together in order to come up with an effective countermeasure. It'll take some time to verify all this. Please wait a little longer."

"I understand…" Takumi nodded. He paused when his Digivice began to ring. "Hello?"

"Oh, Takumi!?" Nokia smiled at the boy. "You're safe!"

"Y-yeah…" the Cyber Sleuth gave her a reassuring smile. "I'm sorry if I worried you… Did you need something?"

"Omegamon wants to talk to you!" she nodded. "Can you come to the Zaxon Forum? We can keep a low profile there. So I'll see you?"

"Alright," Takumi nodded before hanging up. He glanced up towards Kyoko and noticed she was thinking deeply about something.

"A message from Nokia… that is, from Omegamon? Hmm… It must be something important." She nodded to her assistant. "My investigation's going to take a little longer. The Zaxon forum, eh? Go check it out."

"Since it'll take time for you to finish your analysis, I might as well go," Takumi chuckled. As he stood up, a rush of dizziness came over him. He quickly steadied himself and took a few deep breaths.

"Takumi?" Kyoko stopped working for a moment and carefully studied him.

"I'm alright," he reassured her. "I was just dizzy for a moment. I'm off."

"Have a safe trip," she nodded to him as he Connect Jumped into the television. The detective frowned to herself as she wondered how the sudden changes in the Digital Waves will affect his increasingly sensitive body. "All the more reason for us to do our best," she stated as a plan was beginning to form in her mind.

* * *

"Hey, you're here!" Nokia smiled at the Cyber Sleuth.

Takumi looked up at the Royal Knight standing behind her. "So what's this about?"

"See, Omegamon? Takumi's here!"

"Takumi, I apologize for the inconvenience, but we needed to talk face to face," Omegamon nodded at the red-haired boy.

Sensing it was urgent, Takumi worriedly frowned at the Super Ultimate. "Your tone is pretty different from before…" he noticed.

"Yeah, it's surprising, I know!" Nokia nodded. "He totally grew up! I kinda miss Agumon and Gabumon but…" she smirked up at her new Digimon. "Look at how freakin' cool he is!" Omegamon let out an embarrassed chuckle. "So, yeah! Omegamon remembered what he forgot. The reason why he came to this world!" She turned to face her Digimon and stood at Takumi's side. "Okay then, Omegamon! Go right ahead!"

"Thank you, Nokia," Omegamon nodded to her before looking into Takumi's blue eyes. "Now then, heed my words. I came here to save the world we Digimon live in, the Digital World, from destruction. The Digital World is falling prey to the fury of the Eaters."

"The Digital World too!?" Takumi asked in surprise.

"There are Eaters on your world!?" Nokia frowned in concern.

"Yes. The Digital World is an optimal feeding ground for the Eaters, who consume data." Omegamon frowned as he continued. "Even as I speak, they are infesting our world, eating away at it. I am a member of the Royal Knights, one of the ultimate Digimon guardians of the Digital World. We Royal Knights serve Yggdrasil. Yggdrasil is the very order that exists to control the Digital World. When Yggdrasil detected the Eaters, he monitored them and soon after deemed them to be errors that constituted a threat. Following his command, The Royal Knights began to search for where they came from in the hopes of completely annihilating them. We then determined the origin of the threat."

"Don't tell me…" Takumi frowned.

Omegamon nodded at the boy's suspicions. "It was in an adjacent world, in a certain cyberspace that had just been born in your own world."

"What?" Nokia knit her eyebrows together. "A cyberspace in our world? Do you mean—?"

"EDEN," Omegamon nodded.

Both redheads were surprised by that fact. Takumi shook his head. "But how did this happen?"

"This network completely digitizes human consciousness to express it in cyberspace," Omegamon explained. "In the first system… EDEN's avatars—human mental data itself—was what caused Eaters to appear. Even more so than in your 'real' world, human desire and spite, passion and rage were completely unchecked in the digital world you call EDEN. Eaters were born from that unique set of emotional data."

"It can't be…" Nokia frowned.

Takumi clenched his fist. "So it's because of humans…?" he sadly asked.

"Of course, there were Royal Knights who objected to such a hasty decision," Omegamon continued, "myself included. However, there were many who agreed that this conclusion was correct—that the blame for all of this lay with humanity. They now seek to destroy the human world."

"D-destroy it?" Nokia panicked. "When you say the 'human world', what are we talking about? Nakano? Japan!? You can't mean…"

"I do. Everything on this planet," the Digimon regretfully answered. "Even if we were to eliminate the Eaters from our world, so long as their source—humanity—still exists, they will only reappear. Only by wiping out the human race can the Eaters be completely annihilated. At least, that is the conclusion the others have reached."

"Digimon are…" Nokia frowned, "planning on destroying all humans?"

"They are aiming to invade. The Royal Knights lead a large force and are planning a surprise attack."

"Invade? But how?" Nokia was confused. "Digimon can't enter the real world."

"In the city you call Tokyo, Digimon are already appearing in your physical space, are they not?" Omegamon asked.

Takumi tensed up as he realized what the Digimon was referring to. "The Labyrinth Phenomenon!" He frowned at the implications of inducing a world-wide labyrinth.

"What we call a Dimensional Wall separates the world of the humans from our Digital World. However, by creating a large enough hole in this wall to serve as a door, the two worlds can be joined, their properties intermingling. As a result, Digimon can pass back and forth between our worlds. The increasing strength of the Digital Wave phenomenon in Tokyo is caused by ongoing attempts to open a massive portal into your world. That is the 'Paradise Lost Plan'," Omegamon concluded. "So Kishibe, who is implementing the plan, is either acting in concert with the Royal Knights or… it is highly probably she is under mind control."

"Or she could be a Royal Knight herself…" Takumi frowned as he remembered the pressure she exuded when he had been standing right in front of her. Now that he thought about it, the feeling did resemble a Digital Wave of some sort, but it had been monstrously different from what he had been used to. That on top of that devastating punch only further suggest his theory, but he knit his eyebrows together as it didn't quite make sense how she could exist in the real world.

"So there are other Royal Knights here beside you?" Nokia nervously asked.

"The two worlds are not completely separated. There are several small dimensional cracks in the wall," Omegamon nodded. "I was able to pass through by adopting the smaller data forms of Agumon and Gabumon." He lowered his gaze. "Losing a portion of my memories was an… unforeseen complication. I would not be surprised if there were other Digimon who came through the same way."

"I s-see…" Nokia worriedly frowned.

"I will do all I can to prevent their invasion of the human world," Omegamon vowed. "It is neither right nor justifiable to destroy another world in an attempt to save your own. I cannot abide by such a destructive solution!"

"Omegamon…" Nokia nodded in agreement. "You're right! And I feel the same way! Humans and Digimon ought to become BETTER friends, not the other way around!"

"There is something I need your help with, though," the Digimon stated to both humans. "This is a riddle that even a Royal Knight such as myself cannot solve. Please, help me uncover the truth of this situation so that we may resolve it!"

"Of course," Takumi nodded with a smile. "I'm a Cyber Sleuth after all!" He paused when he suddenly received a call.

"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting," Kyoko nodded to him. "Verification took longer than I expected. But there's a reason for that. A number of interesting things have come to light."

"I just discovered a lot here on my end too, Kyoko-san," Takumi notified her.

She curiously raised an eyebrow at him. "Return to the agency then," she directed him. "We need to plan our counterattack as soon as possible."

"We're coming too!" Nokia exclaimed. "We have to tell her the news!"

* * *

"Sorry for the delay!" Nokia smiled as she finally got to the agency. "Okay, Kyoko-san, let's start the strategy meeting!"

"There's still one important person who isn't here yet," Kyoko said, shaking her head.

"And important person?" Nokia frowned. "Who besides me…?"

"Nokia…" Takumi smirked. "Aren't you forgetting someone? A good friend of ours?" The Cyber Sleuth chuckled as the door opened and Arata came in. "Here he is now."

"Gwuh? You can't possibly mean…?" Nokia frowned at the hacker approaching them.

"Ugh…" Arata also narrowed his eyes at her. "I came 'cause I heard there was gonna be a strategy meeting to talk about how to get rid of Kishibe, but I see our wild one is here, too."

"You're one to talk!" Nokia crossed her arms. "Always making things more complicated just because you think you're some kind of legend! You emotionally stunted jerkface! You've always been like this! You up and disappear by yourself at Under Zero! You're no good at fighting as part of a team! Leave us alone!"

"Sorry," Kyoko smirked at the two volatile teenagers and crossed her arms, "but this strategy depends on all of you. I need our wild one and our legendary-yet-stunted boy to work together on this."

"I don't care as long as we can beat Kisihbe," Arata shrugged. "Let's get started."

"So says Arata," Kyoko nodded. "Any objections from our wild one?"

"Hang on just a second!" Nokia smiled. "I want to tell everybody something!"

Everybody took a seat around the coffee table as Nokia, with a lot of help from Takumi, explained everything they learned from Omegamon. When her assistant was done, Kyoko brought her hand up to her mouth. "Hmm… So that's the whole story behind the Paradise Lost Plan. I see."

"Destroy the human world?" Arata knit his eyebrows together. "Seriously? I wasn't expecting it to be that serious…"

Kyoko lightly chuckled at the information. "Now all my theories have been proven. Thank you, wild one."

"Don't thank me," Nokia blushed. "It's Omegamon who deserves all the thanks. And Kyoko-san, could you knock it off with the 'wild one' thing?"

The woman chuckled a bit more. "I think it's time to start the meeting for real, now. We have Fact A: Kishibe Rie's objective is to open a hole in the Dimensional Wall, a sort of 'Dimensional Door', if you will. Fact B: Kishibe has abducted Kamishiro Yuuko. These two facts cannot be unrelated. She must have needed B in order to carry out A. And A has still yet to be achieved. Our strategy must therefore allow us to both successfully rescue Kamishiro Yuuko as well as to stop all aspects of the Paradise Lost Plan."

Nokia groaned as she quickly became lost. "My brain hurts already!"

"We can't worry about the rationale for B right now," Arata ignored the girl sitting beside him. "The plan's too bold as-is."

"An excellent conjecture, true," Kyoko smirked at him. "But I have some new evidence I'd like to present. It should clear away your doubts."

"As vague as ever!" Arata sighed. "You never change!"

"Can we just keep going?" Takumi asked as he continued analyzing all of Kyoko's notes.

"Having run simulations on the labyrinth locations and the detectable Digital Wave flows…" Kyoko nodded at the papers her assistant was sifting through, "I've identified the existence of a large-scale, stable, and regularly-occurring Energy Locus."

"Hmm?" Nokia blinked a few times.

"It's a circular flow of energy that covers all of Tokyo," Kyoko crossed her arms. "I've named this circular network the Digital Line. Surprisingly, this Energy Locus, which is comprised of Digital Waves, is under human control," Kyoko continued. "In all probability, it is under the control of Kishibe at Kamishiro. The EDEN Spots placed throughout the city also seem to be related to this Energy Locus."

"I get it!" Arata's eyes widened. "That network in Shinjuku where Takumi jumped was part of it!"

"I remember it," Takumi nodded. "It led me straight to Asakusa, but the entire network road had been expansive. It also looped around in a circle, covering the entire city."

Nokia nodded as though she understood.

Arata crossed his arms. "This is the secret behind the EDEN Spots. So they're pathways, sort of like lymph nodes?"

"That's right," Kyoko nodded. "This network of lymph node-like structures resembles ley lines, conduits of supernatural energy known from antiquity." She sensed Takumi shift as he remembered her previous lectures to him on the subject. "A digital version of an energy line… Kishibe must have spent a long time putting this Digital Line together. The structure that cycles the Digital Waves seems to be a kind of 'energy reactor'. The structure is truly well-constructed. It stores, excites, amplifies, and releases energy. When the massive amount of energy stored in the Digital Line is released as a Digital Wave, I believe this door will open. Given how amplified I estimate this energy to be, I feel it's safe to say that the Paradise Lost Plan could be brought into fruition at any time."

Nokia groaned as this was all too much for her to take in.

"Furthermore, there's a place right now where the energy flow is changing drastically…" Kyoko smirked. "Tracing that flow back, we arrive at Roppongi. Beneath Roppongi is a Kamishiro research facility. It's called the 'Roppongi Underground Center'." She turned to her assistant and shook her head. "Very dry, no? The name makes you think it's a government-related facility."

"So it turned out to be the same lab after all," Takumi smirked at her. "I thought the area looked familiar when I Connect Jumped there. At least we have a viable path leading there that doesn't involve complicated network lines."

"Yes," Kyoko nodded, "The underpass you investigated before. This is that 'certain facility' that was back there. Upon analysis of your log data, the coordinates match where you left Yuuko. That's got to be the nerve center where this is all based out of."

"If we attack there, we get Yuuko," Arata surmised. "That's one victory, but how do we stop Kishibe's plan? If B is needed to achieve A, then when B occurs, if condition C is needed to achieve A, then B will be—"

"Stop, stop!" Nokia shook her head. "My brain totally can't take any more!" She turned to glare at the older boy sitting next to her. "Just shut up, Arata, you geek. Geeky Arata. We'll call you 'Geeta' for short!"

"What!?" Arata glared back at her.

Kyoko chuckled at that. "It's okay, Geeta. We've got to interfere with her control of the Digital Waves itself. As I explained, the Digital Line is an artificial construct for controlling Digital Wave flow. That control occurs via various terminals, including the EDEN Spots, for its functions. In other words, if we could jam them…"

"That's it! You're talking about an analog method!" the raven-haired hacker smirked. "In other words, knock out the power, right!?"

"Exactly," the detective nodded. She brought her hand up to her mouth though before continuing. "But they must be aware of their own vulnerabilities and likely have backup power supplies already prepared. Therefore, we're going to need to strike in multiple places at once or our whole plan comes apart."

"So we get a lot of people and turn the power off?" Nokia asked.

"You'd plunge all of Tokyo into a blackout," Arata nodded. "Leave this to me, Kyoko-san."

"Hang on… all of Tokyo?" Nokia turned to him in surprise. "But who—!?"

"Huh…?" Arata flashed the girl an arrogant smirk. "What do you mean? I'm a hacker, right? And hackers can only do one thing, right? I'll gather all my buds and then we'll all hack into the power supply systems throughout the city… all at once! We'll play nice. It'll take some time, but we'll be able to keep the range of effect to a bare minimum."

"I see," Kyoko nodded. "I had been thinking of asking you to hack into the various EDEN Spots here and there… Assuming as we should that Kishibe is full of lies, we should strike at the weak points first. 'Be extremely subtle, even to the point of formlessness', as the saying goes," she smirked.

"Excellent!" Arata slipped his hands into his pockets. "Sun Tzu! 'Be extremely mysterious, even to the point of soundlessness'!"

"And 'thereby you can be the director of your opponent's fate'," Takumi finished as he crossed his arms. "This is all hinging on us to move in a concerted first strike."

"O-okay then…" Nokia nodded and smirked. "I don't get it, but I get it! It's like I don't got it, but I got it! If Arata's doing that, then we're going for Yuuko-chi! Right, Takumi!?"

"Of course!" the Cyber Sleuth nodded.

"Hmph," Kyoko crossed her arms. "So good of you to grasp that so quickly. You should head to the Roppongi Underground Center right now, from the underpass. Takumi knows the way, I believe."

"Of course!" Takumi smirked. "My memory is unfailing. We'll try to get there as quickly as possible. Just leave it to us, Kyoko-san."

"Then we start on our objectives simultaneously," Arata nodded. "I'll leave Yuuko to you guys." He quickly got up from the couch so he could get a head start on rounding up as many hackers as he could.

"Okay! We're totally going to rescue Yuuko-chi!" Nokia stated as she got to her feet. "And put a stop to the Parachute Cord Plan!"

"It's Paradise Lost, but yeah!" Takumi cried in determination.

"To get to the Roppongi Underground Center, head to the Nakano Underpass," Kyoko told them as she returned to her desk. "You and Nokia should head over. I'll follow up from here as best I can. Now, hurry."

"Understood!" her assistant called out before nodding to Nokia. "Let's go!"

* * *

"Wow!" Nokia smiled at the strange tunnel as she stepped out of the elevator. "We're underground now? Who would have thought there'd be this big a tunnel down here? It's so humid in here and the walls are so crawly. It's really underground-y…" she paused for a moment and blinked at the glitching walls around them. "Wait? Crawly?" The redhead suddenly let out a surprised yell. "Is there a tiny Digital Shift happening here!?"

"It feels different from before," Takumi frowned in concern as he phoned Kyoko.

"Hmm," Kyoko agreed with her assistant. "The effect of the Digital Wave is stronger than it was before. Digimon and Eaters are likely to appear. Be ready for anything," she warned them.

"Okay!" Nokia nodded. "It won't do anyone any good if we wear ourselves out before we save Yuuko-chi! Come on, Takumi! Let's get walking to Roppongi!" She raised her fist into the air and took a few steps before stopping. "Wait a minute!" she cried. "Are we supposed to go on foot!?"

"Have you just now noticed that Roppongi is about ten kilometers away?" Kyoko smirked. "Walking there will take about two hours. At least, that's how long it took Takumi last time."

"T-ten kilometers? Two hours?" Nokia frowned. "What'll we do? Physically speaking…"

"It wasn't so bad last time," Takumi shrugged before looking down at his body. "But then again, physical limitations aren't really a problem for me…"

"I guess we'll just have to tough it out," Nokia tried pumping herself up. "Left, right, left…" she attempted to cheer.

Takumi lightly chuckled as he took the lead down the tunnel. They walked a few kilometers before he sensed an incoming call. "Is something wrong, Kyoko-san?" he quickly answered.

"Did I miss something?" Kyoko asked him. "Are you all suddenly wearing roller blades or something? Or have you broken out into a dead run, panting breathlessly, to get to Yuuko's side?" she teasingly joked with her assistant.

"Eh?" Nokia blinked at that. "What are you talking about, Kyoko-san? We're walking normally. Maybe even slower than that," she frowned as she considered all of the wild Digimon attacks they encountered. "Why?"

"Hmm…" Kyoko brought her hand up to her mouth as she studied her computer monitor. "Then why was I getting a signal from your Digivices in Akasaka after twenty or so minutes?"

"Huh?" Takumi tilted his head to the side.

"Akasaka!?" Nokia crookedly smiled. "No, even if we ran for dear life to rescue Yuuko-chi, we'd never get there that fast."

"Hmm… The labyrinth might be having a slight physical effect on you here," Kyoko mused.

"Huh? What? What do you mean?"

"The distance to Roppongi has been shortened due to the Digital Shift," the detective explained. "You can't tell, being underground, but the spatial distortion has contracted the distance, allowing you to reach Roppongi more quickly than expected."

"Really!?" Nokia grinned at that. "Great! I only understood half of what you said, but I guess the Digital Shift is in our favor?"

"I also just noticed something else," Kyoko crossed her arms.

Takumi paused for a moment as he sensed it too. "Hm? Is there someone else here?"

The woman nodded to him. "There's a signal from another Digivice behind you. It could be an enemy. Be on guard."

"What!? En garde?" Nokia blinked. "Are we fencing now?"

Takumi shook his head as he recognized the Digivice's signal. "I'll talk to you later," he told the detective before cutting the call. He turned around and called out to the girl that had been following them. "Fei, I know it's you."

The brunet frowned at the strange boy but continued towards them. Nokia immediately glared at the Zaxon admin and let out a shout. "What are you doing in a place like this!?"

"Y'all are going to rescue Yuuko-han, right?"

"Yuuko or Yuugo… Which reminds me," Nokia frowned, "You knew that Yuugo was Yuuko-chi all along?"

"Sure enough I knew," Fei nodded. She looked over towards Takumi curiously. "And you figured it out too."

Takumi shrugged it off. "Not really. I had a theory of my own which turned out to be correct, but in a different way."

"What was Yuuko-chi doing with a different avatar?" Nokia asked. "Why did she do it?"

"That was the form of Yuuko-han's brother," Fei explained.

"Yuuko-chi's brother?" Nokia tilted her head to the side.

"Kamishiro Yuugo," Takumi nodded.

"Yes," Fei worriedly frowned. "He has EDEN Syndrome. He's been out for years now. Her older brother, Yuugo-han… Yuuko-han used that avatar to protect the EDEN that her father built in the guise of the Zaxon hacker, Yuugo."

"Wh-why did she do that!?" Nokia frowned.

"Yuuko-han's ties to her family were weak," Fei replied. "I think she craved a certain something to stay connected."

"Something for her family?" Nokia sadly lowered her gaze. "Yuuko-chi… Is that what she was after?"

"Yuuko-san…" Takumi frowned to himself. "I can understand her desire to hold onto her family but…" he knit his eyebrows together. "Why did you refuse my offer to help you?" He clenched his gloved hand. _Is it because Yuugo and I were too similar that you tried to do all this on your own…?_

"Yuuko-han helped me out when I needed it," Fei told them. "She gave me a place where I could be myself. So please…" she pleaded to the two redheads. "Let me come with all y'all."

"Huh?" Nokia blinked at Fei, not expecting the girl to be begging to them.

"I want to rescue Yuuko-han!" the brunet exclaimed. "Let me help!"

"Fei," Takumi nodded to her. "We'll save her together. Don't worry."

Nokia turned to him in surprise. "Hang on. Takumi, are you serious?"

"Do you not want her to come with us?" Takumi asked her.

Nokia frowned to herself and shook her head. "I mean, I guess she wants the same thing we do… To rescue Yuuko-chi."

"You said it yourself to Yuuko-san, didn't you?" Takumi smiled at her. "What was it exactly? 'A friend of a friend is a friend'? Fei is Yuuko-san's friend and therefore ours."

Nokia smirked at that before welcoming Fei into their team. "Okay! Let's do this together! Together we can probably rescue Yuuko-chi!"

"N-nokia-han…" Fei smiled at her. "Thanks."

"Forget the thank yous! You're making me feel awkward!" Nokia crookedly smiled. "Let's just keep thing the same as usual."

"The same as usual…?" Fei knit her eyebrows together. "You f-frumpy…"

"Turn it down a notch!" Nokia frowned. "Okay! Here we go!"

"Yeah…" Takumi nodded and smiled at both girls. "Yuuko-san's waiting for her friends to save her." Fei smiled back and nodded to him before the Cyber Sleuth led them further into the tunnel system.

* * *

Takumi quickened his pace when he saw the hall open up into a room ahead of them. "We're here," he told the girls behind him.

"This is Kamishiro's underground facility?" Nokia asked as she looked around. "Yuuko-chi's really in here somewhere?" Her cell phone began ringing so she quickly picked up.

"There's a faint signal from the Royal Knights," Omegamon stated as he appeared on the screen. "This is it, without a doubt!"

Nokia nodded to him before spotting a strange machine. "Huh!? Hey, over there!"

"Yuuko!" Fei quickly started towards her.

Takumi was at her side as he glared at the woman turning towards them. "Kishibe! Let her go now!"

"So you've come…" Kishibe sneered at him.

A shiver went down the Cyber Sleuth's spine as her tone was completely different from usual. Instead of that high-pitched flirting and sultriness, it was replaced with a lower voice with an extremely serious sharpness to it. Takumi could feel that strange pressure again and it was only made worse when it seemed to stem from an intense hatred the woman held within her. Perhaps it was only Takumi's imagination, but it might have been directed towards him. "K-kishibe…" he frowned as he fought against the oppressive atmosphere.

Nokia began trembling but she faced the CEO too alongside her friends. "Y-you step away from Yuuko-chi, right this instant! You're not going to get away with this!"

Kishibe let out a menacing chuckle. "I'm afraid I don't follow you. At last, the source of the calamity," she smirked at the teenagers. "Well, we can eliminate these filthy humans once and for all."

"We're here now and there's no way you're getting away with that!" Nokia cried out. "We already know you're being manipulated by the Royal Knights! I don't care if it's what Yggdrasil wants or not. There's no way I'm letting you destroy humanity!"

"Heh…" Kishibe crossed her arms. "Omegamon's put you up to this. Omegamon… You're as much of a fool as these failures of human beings are. To support humans and to turn your back on nobler ideals…"

Omegamon's eyes widened. "What!? You… It can't be!" The Digimon tensed up as he addressed his tamer. "Nokia, be careful! This woman… She's not human!"

"What do you mean by that?" Nokia asked. "That Kishibe is—" Takumi suddenly let out a pained cry at her side. "Takumi!?"

The Cyber Sleuth trembled as his nausea returned with a vengeance. "K-kishibe…!"

Kishibe laughed maniacally at them. If the half-cyber boy was in this much pain, then her plan was near complete.

"Huh!?" Nokia gasped. "What? There's something strange going on…"

"Finally, finally…" Kishibe psychotically smiled. "The moment has come! None shall hinder me! As if they ever could!"

"This is bad!" Omegamon cried. "She means to start the plan!"

"It's too late!" Kishibe declared. "Open, Door of Judgement!" She pressed a button on the terminal causing the machine to brightly light up.

* * *

"Okay," Arata sighed, "The preparations are nearly complete. Now the others just need to rescue Yuuko." He paused when someone giggled behind him.

"My, aren't we busy?" Suedou asked as he approached the hacker.

"Huh!? You little rat!" Arata glared at the man. "What are you doing here, Suedou!?"

"Now, now," the scientist reassured the boy. "I just thought you might be busy. I came to lend a hand," he smirked.

"What!? Is this your idea of a joke? Sorry," Arata shook his head, "but I don't have time to hang with you."

"So what's the plan, Arata, my pal? For the sake of argument, let's say the cause for these distortions cropping up in our world was you and your friends," he shrugged.

"What? Distortions?" Arata frowned and slipped his hands into his pockets. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Suedou snickered at his cluelessness. "But it's thanks to those distortions that this world is on the brink of evolving into something new."

"Don't make me say it again," Arata glared at him. "I don't have time for you and your jokes. You're Kishibe's errand boy, right? You just came to interfere with our plans."

"Nobody really understands what's truly going on," Suedou sighed and shook his head. "And I'm including Kishibe-san in that, too, by the way. Or should I say," He smirked, "what used to be Kishibe-san. It's even more of a shame Takumi hasn't figured it out either, given his ability to perceive what others cannot, but even if he did, I doubt he would agree with me," Suedou frowned as he considered the Cyber Sleuth. "With his body the way it is now, I had been hoping it would have been enough to push him to join me… but it seems someone else had gotten to him first. I suppose watching him from afar will suffice though," he shrugged.

"What are you talking about?" Arata frowned at him. "Just what are you trying to do!?"

"I am simply searching for possibilities. That the world will embark on a better evolution," he nodded. "It is for the sake of that possibility… that I've been watching you hackers all along. Your desire to tear down the vanity of the paradise called EDEN… I felt the power of your future and the possibilities it might bring forth. So I nurtured it, let it blossom into something beautiful," his smirk grew. "That was the reason why I developed and gave you and your friends the Digimon Capture program."

"You're the one who created the Digimon Capture!?" Arata exclaimed in surprise.

"It was a side-effect of our research," the scientist shrugged. "More importantly, though…" he looked up at the forum's ceiling. "A door is opening up to a new world! The world I have wanted to lay my eyes on will soon be here!"

"What!?" Arata's eyes widened as he remembered his task. "No!"

"Now then, I must be going," Suedou nodded to the boy. He turned away from Arata and chuckled. "Let us meet again. When you are ready to open the door to your new possibilities, come talk to me."

Arata watched as the man managed to open up his own terminal and leave. "Hey! Wait, you little—!" The raven-haired hacker wanted to chase after him, but he quickly shook his head. "Damn! I need to focus on putting the plan together. Otherwise, the others will…" he frowned as he quickly returned to his console.

* * *

Takumi flinched as the Digital Waves around him were now suffocating him. It was as though something was simultaneously crushing him and pulling him apart and he swore he was at multiple places at once. Even though he should have been in the underground lab, his blue eyes widened when he thought he saw a wave of energy exploding out from the building they were directly beneath.

"Takumi!" Nokia called out to him again and this managed to mentally pull the Cyber Sleuth back to his half-digital body.

"N-no…" the boy fearfully shook his head as he looked towards Kishibe. "She's done it…"

"The Door has opened!" Kishibe roared. "I've broken the laws of the physical universe!" she laughed.

"Sh-she's kidding… right?" Nokia shakily asked.

"No, I saw it…" Takumi confirmed as his body began working against him again. "Urgh…!"

"I can feel it!" Kishibe's crazed smile grew. "The world is shifting to the digital! Farewell, wretched human scum!" She laughed as her body became surrounded by pink light and rose petals. Where once stood a green-haired woman was a pink knight-like Digimon with a yellow shield on her right arm.

Fei's eyes widened in confusion. "Is that… a Digimon!?"

Omegamon suddenly appeared behind Nokia. "That's LordKnightmon, a Royal Knight like me!" he exclaimed. "She was using Kishibe Rie's body as a vessel in order to act in secret this whole time!"

"Wh-what!?" Nokia blinked at the sudden appearance of her Digimon. "Omegamon, you're in the real world now!?"

"The time has finally come! The Door has joined the two worlds!" Omegamon stated.

"It's been a long time, Omegamon," LordKnightmon greeted him, "my fellow proud and gallant Royal Knight! It's not too late for you, you know," the pink warrior told him. "You can still join us. Together we can destroy the humans and save our world!" Omegamon frowned at that. "For starters, butcher those humans you're with!" she cried while pointing at Takumi.

"O-omegamon…" Nokia looked up at her partner.

"I shall not!" Omegamon shook his head to the girl's relief.

"Oh-ho! You disobey Yggdrasil's commands to the very end?" LordKnightmon challenged him.

"Is that the will of Yggdrasil?" Omegamon asked in return. "To destroy humanity? I have long had my doubts. And I have learned something by working with Nokia and her friends!" He brushed aside his mantle. "Humans do not deserve to be destroyed!" he declared.

"Hmph…" LordKnightmon turned her helmet away from him. "You're a disgrace to the Royal Knights! Very well. I will put an end to you by and by. It will be an act of mercy!"

With the world stabilizing into a half-digital, half-real state, Takumi found it easier for him to breathe again. LordKnightmon charged towards Nokia but he quickly pulled his friend out of the way as his team emerged to intercept the Royal Knight.

Omegamon also jumped in to block LordKnightmon's Pile Bunker with his Grey Sword. Both Royal Knights went at it, clashing their weapons against each other. Finally, Omegamon had enough of the stalemate so pulled away. As he did so, he pointed his Garuru Cannon at LordKnightmon and fired.

LordKnightmon raised her Pile Bunker to block it but frowned when she noticed she was surrounded by Takumi's team. Glancing towards the annoying brat, she saw the teen frown at her before calling out to his team. "Xros Combo!"

Omegamon charged up his Grey Sword and nodded. "Omega Blast!" he swung a wave of energy towards the trapped Royal Knight.

"Rapid Fire!"

"Gatling Missile!"

"Lovely Attack!"

LordKnightmon avoided as much as she could before her four body-sash blades sticking out from her armor began to extend. "Spiral Masquerade!" The blades quickly took out the projectiles aimed at her before she took off into the air. "Hmph… It's too early to release my true power. But it's just a matter of time!" she told her opponents before turning away from them.

"You will run from this fight!?" Omegamon accused her.

"I go to greet my comrades," she explained. "I shall deal with you later!" she laughed before escaping. Once she was above the building, she smirked at the people on the streets beginning to cower as the portal to the Digital World opened in a swirling mass of dark clouds. Many watched in fearful awe as others screamed to get away. "Foolish humans!" LordKnightmon roared as the portal grew. "You will pay for your sins!" She paused as behind her a large dragon Digimon let out a roar as he fell through the portal. "Huh!?" Her eyes widened at the sight of the Eaters splotched over her ally's body. "W-w-what!?"

She quickly got out of the way as the large dragon continued to fall. He crashed into a skyscraper before spreading his wings to catch a draft. As he tried to stabilize his flight pattern, he swerved into a few low buildings before finally being able to fully expand his wings. The large Digimon took off into the horizon without another though as the city fell into chaos.

* * *

"Wh-wh-what's going on!?" Nokia asked. "Or better yet, wh-wh-what are we going to do!?"

"Ugh!" Omegamon lowered his head.

"Calm down!" Takumi quickly brought his hand up to his mouth as he figured out something they could. As he closed his eyes, everything around them shut down.

Nokia shrieked at the sudden darkness. "Wh-wh-what's going on!? A blackout?" She paused for a moment. "Wait. A black…out?"

"Arata…" Takumi muttered as he opened his eyes.

"Oh yeah!" Nokia nodded as she remembered. "Arata and his buds were going to cut the power!"

"Better late than never!" Takumi nodded. "Now's our chance!"

* * *

LordKnightmon frowned as the portal was beginning to shrink. "It can't be…" Eventually the clouds closed up and no more Digimon poured from the sky. "The Dimensional Door has closed!?" She let out a cry at the abrupt wrench in her plans. "Foolish humans! Such impudence!" She paused though as it wasn't all bad. "Still, even that brief connection to the Digital World should leave enough of a lingering effect. Digital Shifts must be occurring over a wide area. The proof is in how I'm able to retain this form!" She looked around the city and smirked to herself. "I can feel the power of the other Royal Knights. They are here, somewhere. I shall search out the others and together we shall destroy the human world! The plan may need slight adjustments, but there's no change in my plan to wipe out all humans!" She began laughing to herself before taking off to meet with the Royal Knight she knew she'd need assistance from.

* * *

Nokia quickly answered her ringing Digivice and Arata quickly shook his head at them. "No!" he cried out. "I was too late…" He frowned at himself. "I'm sorry. That was completely my fault."

"Nothing to worry about!" Nokia reassuringly smiled at him. "You closed the Dimensional Door! Omegamon said we avoided the worst! It's okay! We'll figure something out!"

"Yeah…" he tried to chuckle. "I sure hope so." He quickly hung up without another word.

Nokia frowned and crossed her arms at his depressing attitude. "I don't know why I bother trying to cheer him up. He's always the same ol' grump!"

"Never mind that for now," Takumi shook his head. "We've got more important things to do ourselves!" He started towards the terminal but saw Fei already trying to rescue their friend.

"Yuuko-han!" the brunette cried. "Yuuko-han!"

"Oh, that's right!" Nokia turned towards the girl still strapped to the terminal. "Yuuko-chi!"

Takumi followed the two girls but tensed up as he sensed another distortion in the Digital Waves around them. "Nokia! Fei!" He quickly pulled them back as an Eater came out of nowhere. "Get back! It's dangerous!" While he managed to save those two, his eyes widened as the Eater went straight towards the unconscious Yuuko still sitting in the terminal. "Yuuko-san!" he screamed as the Eater began to change its form. "No!"

But instead of the humanoid Eater he encountered before, this one seemed to integrate Yuuko as a part of its body. The Eater itself resembled demonic crab with multiple legs. Its two front most legs seemed to shields as they protectively guarded Yuuko. Directly in the middle of Eater's face was a vertical scythe and it seemed to be attached to Yuuko by her arms and heads by a skull-shaped helmet. The girl let out a strangled scream as she realized what was going on.

"Huh!?" Takumi knit his eyebrows together as he didn't know whether he could risk attacking it with Yuuko there. He quickly performed a scan on it with his Digivice for any weaknesses or openings but he didn't get much out of it other than the creature's name. "Eater… Eve…?"

"An Eater!?" Nokia gasped.

"Yuu… Yuuko-han!" Fei screamed.

"Fei!" Takumi called out to the brunette as she quickly summoned her TigerVespamon from her Digivice. "Don't!"

"You scum-bucket!" Fei ignored him as she glared at the creature. "Get away from Yuuko-han!" On her command, TigerVespamon charged forward and tried to stab Eater Eve with her Royal Meister. Eater Eve flinched back from the attack before swiping at the speedy Digimon with its shield-like arms.

Seeing there was nothing else he could do, Takumi quickly sent his Rapidmon and Andromon forward to help, but swapped out Monzaemon for Lilimon, deeming the accuracy and speed of Lilimon's Flower Cannon was a better choice here than how random Monzaemon's Lovely Attack could be. "Rapidmon! Circle around Eater Eve and use Rapid Fire! Andromon! Gatling Missile!"

Eater Eve scuttled about as the smaller Digimon circled it. It tried to fend them off but its size and bulk made it incredibly slow. It swiped at them here and there, but soon it was surrounded by four speedy Digimon as Lilimon quickly entered the battle.

"Yuuko-han!" Fei tried calling out to Yuuko again, in the hopes the raven-haired girl would struggle out of the Eater's grasp.

Takumi frowned as he could hear Yuuko's ragged gasping, but he couldn't tell whether that was the Eater using her voice or not because Eater Eve suddenly reared back, raising the scythe high as it charged with energy. "Memory Divide!"

Takumi dodged out of the way and watched as the dark cutting wave continued past him and towards the girl behind him. "Nokia!" he cried out.

Omegamon quickly pulled her to safety before preparing to join the battle himself. "Nokia! I need to help—"

"Stay where you are!" Takumi called out to the Royal Knight. "Your attacks might hurt Yuuko-san!"

Omegamon paused at that and lowered his gaze. "There must be something we can do…"

"It's fine," Takumi shook his head. "Just protect Nokia!"

"Takumi, look out!" Nokia called out to him as Eater Eve tried to use another Memory Divide against him.

It was a good thing he was so sensitive to distortions in Digital Waves because his body had automatically began to dodge the attack before the warning came to him. Takumi frowned though as the monster was a lot stronger and sturdier than he expected. "Can it be because of Yuuko-san?" he asked. He thought back to what Omegamon said about the Eaters being born from the malice and darkness of human mental data. "Is Yuuko-san… suffering…?" He changed the focus of his attention from the Eater to Yuuko herself as his Digimon continued to fight. His blue eyes widened when he could hear Yuuko's weak voice trying to say something.

"S-stop…" Yuuko suddenly cried as the Eater closed a pincer around her torso. "Stop…!"

Takumi tensed up as he sensed Eater Eve preparing a new attack. "Everyone! Guards up!"

Eater Eve reared back again, charging its scythe, but instead of energy concentrating on the blade's edge, however, a dark sphere began to grow on the tip of it. "Mastermind Port!" The monster released the attack and Takumi winced as the orb seemed to be absorbing data from his Digimon, allowing Eater Eve to partially recover itself.

Fei continued her assault against the monster. "Yuuko-han!" TigerVespamon performed her Mach Stinger V attack before falling from exhaustion. The brunette faltered a bit as Eater Eve continued thrashing about. "It's no use! That thing won't come off!"

"Is it okay for us to take this thing down like this?" Nokia frowned. "What'll happen to Yuuko-chi if we do that!? You don't think it would…"

"No…!" Fei shook her head. "We can't let that happen! No! Please… Please save Yuuko-han…" she begged.

"We'll save Yuuko-san no matter what!" Takumi cried before a thought occurred to him. "Eaters are digital entities… which means…" He calmly made his way towards the thrashing monster.

"What?" Nokia's eyes widened at her friend. "What is it, Takumi!?"

"The power to connect to others…" Takumi hardened his resolve as he held up his gloved hands towards Eater Eve. "I think I understand why it's so important now, Kyoko-san…" he muttered to himself.

"You're not thinking of Connect Jumping into an Eater!?" Nokia asked in alarm. "Takumi!"

"We won't know unless we try!" Takumi sternly stated as he focused his eyes on Yuuko. "It'll definitely fail if you don't believe it has a chance of success!"

"I don't care…" Fei shook her head. "Do whatever it takes… Help her!"

TigerVespamon struggled to get up. "It's going to be okay, Fei. I will go in your stead," the Digimon told her hacker.

"What?" Fei blinked at her Digimon in confusion. "I didn't issue no command like that! What kind of program acts on its own!?"

Takumi sensed TigerVespamon and his team loading into his Digivice. His desire to save Yuuko no matter the cost added on top of the Fei's in the form of her Digimon was enough for him to identify the correct Digital Wave required to Connect Jump. "Let's go!" he exclaimed as his dove into the Eater's being.

When he was gone, Nokia put her hands together and placed them over her heart. "It's okay, Fei. Trust your Digimon. It's like I said. Digimon are not just programs."

Fei paused at that and lowered her gaze. "T-trust… my Digimon?"

* * *

Takumi let out a cry as around him the world faded into a strange spiral of black and white. He groaned as his entire body began to tingle. The air felt thick and his skin burned as though someone was roughly applying sandpaper to his entire existence. Takumi ignored the prickling sensations though as he focused on his task of rescuing Yuuko from the Eater. He continued to fall into the strange darkness before he managed to reorient himself enough to find a path. He looked around before noticing a girl ahead of him.

"Yuuko-san…!" he cried out as he reached his hand out to her. He paused though when the raven-haired teen shook her head. "Yuuko-san…?"

"It's over…" Yuuko told him. "There's nothing else I can do…" She lowered her gaze and frowned. "Everything I did… It was all for nothing… No one is coming back. I'm out of options… No matter what I do, if I end up with nothing…" Bitter tears began to collect in her eyes. "It doesn't matter anymore."

"Yuuko-san…" Takumi shook his head. "You can't believe that, can you?" She didn't answer as she disappeared. Takumi looked around in surprise but decided to head in the direction of where her digital signature was. "Yuuko-san!" He paused for a moment as various images passed him as he went deeper into the Eater's network.

Yuuko's voice echoed around him as he took the time to study the scenes. "Yuugo came down with EDEN Syndrome eight years ago. Because my father was so busy developing EDEN, I took his place at Yuugo's bedside. No matter how many times I called to him, he wouldn't wake up, so I stopped trying." Takumi frowned at that. "Then my father died. It was Rie-san who tried to cheer me up."

Takumi lifted his gaze towards the image of the vile woman trying to comfort Yuuko. "Kishibe took advantage of your loneliness, didn't she?" he asked.

"She taught me that there was a way for me to not lose my family," Yuuko continued. "She said I should become Yuugo and lead the hackers to protect the EDEN my father built. When I was all lost and alone, she gave me purpose." Takumi turned towards the false Yuugo that appeared before him. "And so I… I abandoned myself and became Yuugo…"

"Yuuko-san…" Takumi sympathetically frowned as Yuugo suddenly turned into a reflection of Yuuko.

"I thought I could lose myself and connect to my family at the same time…" the girl's voice cracked into a sob, "but it was all lies!"

The images suddenly vanished and Takumi quickly moved on. "Yuuko-san!"

"It was all part of Rie-san's scheme. All of Zaxon… They weren't following me," Yuuko lamented. "I wasn't protecting EDEN… It was all Rie-san… I did nothing! I'm so lonely. I'm ridiculous and pathetic…"

"No," Takumi adamantly stated as he finally reached the girl at the end of the network. "You're wrong!"

"Why won't you leave me alone?" Yuuko asked him. "I can't go back anymore. I made too many mistakes," she sobbed. "I failed, and as a result, EDEN is still claiming more victims. What did I even think I was going to accomplish? My father… my brother… They've all left me. I didn't want to admit I was alone…" she cried. "But I've been alone for so long. So please…" she begged Takumi. "Leave me be… I'm better off by myself."

"But I can't leave you alone if you're suffering this much!" Takumi told her before seriously looking into the girl's sorrowful eyes. "That's why I'm here now despite all the risks. Besides," he managed to give her a kind smile, "I'm not the only one worried about you…"

Yuuko stopped crying when TigerVespamon appeared at the Cyber Sleuth's side. "Is this… the Digimon I gave to Fei?"

"Yuuko," TigerVespamon began with a nod, "you are most definitely not alone. Ever since you introduced me and Fei, we have had each other. You gave us a place where we could be ourselves. I stand with Fei, and Fei… she stands with you." Yuuko gasped at that. "Try to remember. Someone must have always been at your side. Even now…" TigerVespamon looked over to the boy standing by the girl.

Yuuko turned around to face Takumi as he gently smiled at her. She quickly lowered her gaze so she wasn't directly looking into his brilliant smile. "Yes… Takumi-san… I see." A small smile managed to appear on the girl's face as even Takumi's Digimon came out from his Digivice on their own accord. She recognized them to be the very same three Digimon he risked himself to save. For him to still be raising them was just like him.

"You're not alone anymore, Yuuko-san," Takumi nodded to her and extended his hand to her once more.

"Yes, you're right." Yuuko looked up into his kind blue eyes. "I remember something my father told me, when I was little, and I was crying. He said… 'No one will be alone in the EDEN your papa is creating. No matter how far apart their bodies might be, they will still be able to reach out a hand to each other'. That's what EDEN is for," Yuuko stated, "a cyberspace unbound by the laws of the physical world."

"Fei and I are by your side," TigerVespamon nodded. "Now and forever!"

Yuuko smiled as the Digimon entered her Digivice. The raven-haired girl brought a hand up as she remembered a strange saying someone once told her. "I think I finally understand something Nokia said," she stated. She looked back up into Takumi's kind face. "Takumi, thank you so much. For bringing my friends to me… For reaching out a hand to me…"

Takumi blinked as the girl disappeared again before accepting his hand. "Yuuko-san…?"

"I'm in through here," her voice reassuringly told him from further in. "Please, get me out of here. I want to be with you all again!"

"Of course," Takumi nodded as he recalled his Digimon back into his Digivice. Continuing forward, he spotted the real Yuuko sitting in a strange space with odd children's toys and books scattered about. She smiled up at him as he came closer and quickly reached for his gloved hand. "Let's go home, Yuuko-san," he said as he pulled her up. Around them, everything flashed white and before they knew it, the boy was back in the underground lab with Yuuko sitting in front of him. Takumi himself was down on a knee, trying to catch his breath, but he brightly smiled as he managed to save her in the end.

"Yuuko-han!" Fei cried out as she reached the raven-haired girl's side. "Please… Open your eyes!"

"Mmph…" Yuuko blinked a few times as her vision adjusted. "Fei?"

"Yuuko-han…" Fei smiled in relief. "Yuuko-han!"

"Fei…" Yuuko began with a smile. "Thank you… for considering me your friend."

"Of course you're my friend!" Fei nodded. "We'll always be friends! Always!"

"Oh really? 'Friends'? Is that good enough?" Nokia smirked. "Don't you really want more than that?"

"You dumbass!" Fei frowned at her. "Watch what y'all are sayin' in fronta Yuuko-han, ya frumpy brat!"

"What are you talking about?" Nokia teased her. "What were YOU imagining?" she giggled. "So naughty…"

Fei mockingly mimicked her laugh. "Who y'all callin' naughty, ya dirty old thang!?"

"Now, now. We're all friends here, aren't we?" Takumi chuckled as he pulled Yuuko up to her feet as he got up himself. Yuuko giggled in agreement but she sensed Takumi tense up. The boy quickly pushed her away from him before turning around to face the strange dimensional void that had opened up behind him.

Yuuko was stunned as Takumi was suddenly swallowed up by the tear. "T-takumi-san…?"

"Huh?" Nokia gasped as the portal quickly closed.

"What!?" Yuuko's hand shook as only a moment ago she had been holding onto him.

"Takumi… d-d-disappeared!?" Nokia worriedly frowned. "N-no way! W-w-w-why!? Why all of a sudden like that!?"

* * *

 **Final Notes:** I don't really know how the whole Kishibe's body thing works, especially when she goes back to being LordKnightmon. So is LordKnightmon's body mostly physical and she can turn it digital? It'd be like the opposite of Takumi's body... If that's the case, she's in a state that's a lot more stable than Takumi's so all of the massive shifts of course would be crushing him, while they wouldn't really adversely affect her. Actually, this gives me a plausible thought I'll bring up later regarding Takumi's mental data... On another note, I want to focus on Fei because after this, she doesn't really show up anymore... I think she's pretty interesting, but she seriously only shows up like four times... She could have been a lot more important, but she's been demoted just like Ryota. Still, I really like her and TigerVespamon. She's also the only other hacker besides Takumi who actually cares about carrying a balanced Digimon team... It's a shame she doesn't use Hououmon and Sakuyamon more... but her battle in the Master Cup is a real challenge. I find her fight to be both a pain and rather fun...


	19. Wandering

**Author's Notes:** Pretty short chapter today and it's all exposition. Seriously... there's no gameplay in this chapter.

* * *

"This way," a boy's voice cried out. "This way!"

Takumi slowly opened his eyes in the darkness and spotted a boy with black hair waving at him, motioning for the teen to come over. He absently started in that direction but paused when another boy ran towards the first child with two girls following him. "Let's hurry up and go!" the second boy stated.

One of the girls with short black hair nervously shrunk back. "Really? I'm scared! Let's go home!" she whined.

The other girl with long red hair giggled. "It's okay!" she reassured her friend. "Let's go!"

The three of them ran towards the first boy and Takumi watched as they faded away. The first boy continued waving at him, calling him over. "Hurry! Come this way! Faster… faster!" Takumi made to go towards him but soon sensed a looming darkness growing from within the boy. "Come this way… come this…"

Takumi's eyes widened as a purplish black hand extended towards him, dragging him further into the pitch black world. He flinched in surprise and remained tense for a while before realizing nothing had happened. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes to a new scene. He blinked as he was surrounded by strange tropical plants. "Where… am I?" he asked himself as he began wandering around the unfamiliar jungle. He spotted a ghostly boy ahead of him and quickened his pace. "Ah…! Are you…?"

The raven-haired ghost didn't turn to face him as he began to speak in a garbled, static-filled language. _"Kimi wa dare? Boku wa dare? Dare wa dare? Kimi no tame? Boku no tame? Dare no tame? Dare dare dare…?"_

"Huh…?" Takumi frowned at the strange questions the boy was muttering.

 _"Boku to… asobou…"_

"Play… with you?" Takumi frowned as the boy slowly turned to face him. His eyes widened as the ghost suddenly became an Eater. The redhead let out a cry as he quickly stepped away from the monster. He closed his eyes and flinched as the Eater came at him, but again, nothing happened. When he opened his eyes, he noticed he was surrounded by multiple Eaters. "What…!?"

"This is how the world will end," a familiar voice told him.

Takumi frowned as he tried to remember whose voice it was. "Yuugo…?"

"As the number of Eaters increases, the real world…" Yuugo's voice slowed down as it became warped, "will be eroded away to no-thing-ness…"

Takumi winced as his body flared with pain as it flickered. The Eaters crowded around him and he flinched as darkness closed in around him again. He frowned as he sensed he was still okay somehow. Looking into the strange void, he spotted a raven-haired teenager standing with his back towards him. "Hm?" He frowned as his mind went through all the possibilities of who it could be. _An Eater again?_ He shook his head. _He's not like that ghost… Yuuko-san? No, he's someone very similar though._ "Who are you?" the Cyber Sleuth finally asked aloud.

"I am Yuugo," the boy turned around and introduced himself, "Yuuko's brother."

"I thought so," Takumi kindly smiled at him. "But…" he frowned as he stared at the boy, "what are you doing here?"

"My body succumbed to EDEN Syndrome and still sleeps," he explained. "I'm like you." He paused for a moment and shook his head. "No, I'm different. My body is completely cyber."

"Completely…?" Takumi stared at him with wide eyes.

"Anyway," Yuugo gratefully smiled at the redhead, "thank you for saving my sister from erosion. I also tried to save her, but… had you not been there, she would have been devoured."

The Cyber Sleuth wore an embarrassed smile. "W-well… I only did what I could… I couldn't just leave Yuuko-san connected to the Eater, especially if she was suffering…"

Yuugo placed his hand on his hip as he studied the kind-hearted boy. "Your means of doing so had never occurred to me. Your Connect Jump was quite the surprise. And it was because you 'connected' with the Eater that we were able to meet like this."

"Really?" Takumi asked as he tilted his head to the side.

"That's right," he nodded. "I called out to you. You responded and came here, yes?"

"I… don't really know," Takumi frowned at him.

"You just woke up here? You don't remember what happened?" Yuugo blinked at him. "That is… tragic. That may in part be because I called you. 'To respond to someone's call'… You have that power, do you not?"

"I think so," Takumi nodded. "Kyoko-san says it's the power for me to connect my fate to others… I didn't understand before, but… I think I'm beginning to now…" The redhead looked around curiously. "I guess that's what led me here…"

"Aren't you curious where 'here' is?" Yuugo asked with a smile.

"A little bit…"

"This is a special area found on a certain network," Yuugo explained. "I hastily created it in order to meet with you. You subconsciously responded to my voice and accessed this network. Within you lies a fragment of me. It's a piece of my memories."

"Ah…" Takumi remembered his first trip to Cron. Back then the ghost boy had installed something into him that he couldn't read before. "I see…"

"That is how my voice reached you," Yuugo nodded. "I was so happy when I learned that you had it." His smile faltered though as he continued to study Takumi. "But it might have caused other problems… The strange things you've experienced here… They're all the effects of my memory fragment. You must have had similar experiences. They were the result of my memories drawing you in."

"You mean the images of those kids I see sometimes…" Takumi mused.

"I, too, have a few large fragments that make me reflect a lot on my physical body…" Yuugo frowned at his cyber body. "This might have been troublesome for you."

Takumi stared back at Yuugo carefully. "So you're really… the Ghost of the Pale Boy?"

"I don't know what form my fragments take, but…" he brought hand up to his mouth. "I see. A ghost. That must be very unsettling. I bet it frightened Yuuko and Nokia…"

"You know Nokia…?" Takumi asked with a tilt of his head.

Yuugo gave him a sad smile and wanted to explain but he sensed someone trying to enter the network appear behind him. He noticed Takumi lifting his head towards the light shining behind him so chuckled. "Someone's come for you. I'm surprised. How did they find us?" Yuugo closed his eyes as he felt the warm light on his back. "They must have a very deep, very strong connection with you."

The light disappeared from behind Yuugo and Takumi suddenly felt it appear behind him. Just as Yuugo said, Takumi smiled at how warm it was. He closed his eyes as the presence was extremely comforting and familiar, but he couldn't quite place who it belonged to. He turned around as a large shadow loomed over him and his blue eyes widened at the Digimon's great silhouette. Takumi turned back towards Yuugo to invite him along, but the raven-haired boy had disappeared. "Yuugo…?"

The boy's voice echoed in the darkness around them. "Thank you for answering me… I'm glad we met. Tell Yuuko, Nokia, and Arata that I'm… okay… So please—"

Yuugo's message was cut short as Takumi sensed the Digimon behind him quickly reaching for him. Takumi closed his eyes as he was pulled into the bright light and when he opened them again, he found himself in front of Shinjuku's theatre. At least, he thought it was Shinjuku. A portion of the street was sanctioned off and the redhead noticed some of the buildings glitching.

"H-huh!?" he looked around the chaotic city in confusion before his Digivice rang. He quickly answered. "Kyo—"

"Whew! I got through!" Nokia sighed before glaring at the boy. "Where the heck have you been!?" she asked him with her arms crossed.

"Nokia…?" Takumi frowned as he had expected the first person to call him would have been his boss. He smiled as someone else entered the call. "Kyo—?"

"Takumi-san!" Yuuko worriedly frowned at him. "Are you okay!? Was there a problem of some sort?"

A third person entered the call. "Hey, ask the questions one at a time!" Arata frowned at the two girls.

"Ah… Everyone…" Takumi smiled at his friends. "I'm sorry for you worrying you…"

Yuuko's frown deepened as she studied the redhead's face for signs of injury. "We haven't been able to make contact for over a week! And considering the way we parted, naturally we were worried!"

"A week…!?" Takumi asked in surprise. "I was gone for that long…?"

"Okay, okay, we get it, we get it…" Arata sighed. "Anyway, it's great to see Takumi's still in one piece. We can handle the details when we meet up in person. Is that okay?"

"Y-yeah…" Takumi nodded as he was still getting reoriented with the world around him.

"Okay then," Nokia smiled. "Let's meet up in Nakano! I bet Takumi wants to get back to the agency."

"Of course!" the Cyber Sleuth nodded. "I need to report to Kyoko-san right away!" The three teens shared a concerned frown amongst themselves and Takumi noticed. "H-huh…? Is something wrong?"

Arata shook his head. "We'll see you later, Takumi!" he quickly stated before the three hung up.

Takumi frowned at that but shook his head as they would probably explain it to him sooner or later. "It seems I had everyone worried about me. Let's get back to the agency."

* * *

"I'm home," Takumi said out of habit as he entered the agency. To his surprise, instead of Kyoko welcoming him back, it was Yuuko who came up to greet him.

"Ah! Takumi-san!" Yuuko brightened as she quickly tackled into him for a hug. "Welcome home. Thank goodness!"

"H-huh!? Y-yuuko-san…!" Takumi's face burned as he didn't really know how to react.

"I'm so glad you're okay," the girl sighed in relief as she carefully examined him. "You're not injured? You're all right? Where were you and what were you doing!?"

"W-well…" the redhead frowned as he tried to figure out where to begin.

"Like I said," Arata shook his head at her, "ask the questions one at a time!"

"It's no use, Arata…" Nokia smirked. "You should have seen Yuuko-chi when Takumi disappeared! She was so, so, so, so worried!"

"Really?" Takumi asked as he stared at the raven-haired girl.

"D-don't get the wrong idea!" Yuuko frowned at him as her face also turned red. "You vanished before I could say a proper thanks! And I've slept badly all week. That's all." She averted her gaze away from him when he continued to stare at her with those gentle blue eyes of his. "If you're going to disappear, let me say thank you first so we can end things properly."

"Isn't this 'hard to get' act a bit… beneath you?" Arata muttered.

"Anyway," Yuuko ignored the older boy's comment and sheepishly addressed Takumi, "thank you so much for what you did."

"It was nothing, Yuuko-san," Takumi told her with a nod as he finally recomposed himself. "I only did what I could as a Cyber Sleuth, so I'm really glad the rescue mission turned out well!" He sheepishly grinned at her and scratched his cheek. "I'm sorry for disappearing before the case could be properly closed though. That must have been very distressing for you as a client."

"Eh?" Yuuko looked up to him in confusion. "W-wait… I really was worried about you… I'm glad you made it back safely…" she finally managed to say.

"Thanks, Yuuko-san," Takumi simply nodded with a kind smile on his face. "I'm glad to see you're safe too."

"H-huh…?" The raven-haired girl didn't know why, but his response made her even more flustered. "W-well… of course… you were the one to save me after all…"

Arata crossed his arms and frowned at the red-haired girl at his side. "Jeez, this is getting really embarrassing…" he muttered.

Nokia only flashed him a grin. "That's only because you have no idea how to pick up girls, Geeta."

"Huh!?" the older boy glared at her. "I'm totally better at it than Takumi at least!"

"Hm?" the younger boy looked up at his two friends in confusion. "Arata, is something wrong?"

"Your flirting is what's wrong!" he yelled at the bright-eyed teen. "There's no flair at all!"

"Flirting…?" Takumi blinked. "But… I was just being honest…"

Nokia and Arata both paused as they stared at their friend in disbelief. "Eh!? But she's clearly—"

"Th-that's enough!" Yuuko quickly cut them off. "What's important is that Takumi-san is back, safe and sound!" She worriedly glanced at Takumi once more. "You are… okay, aren't you?"

"Of course," Takumi nodded as he raised his fist to his chest. "It looks like a lot has happened during my absence… But I'm back now," he seriously nodded before lifting his gaze towards the desk in the back of the office. "I'm glad all of you are here. 'To have friends come from afar is happiness', right, Kyoko—?" he paused when he finally noticed the detective wasn't there. "H-huh…?" The other three noticed as his smile was immediately replaced with a frown full of sadness, confusion, and worry. "Kyoko-san…? Where's Kyoko-san?" he urgently asked.

"We weren't the only ones that were worried," Arata frowned. "Kyoko-san kept looking for you the whole time. But she went off the radar a little while ago."

"Kyoko-san… is gone…?" Takumi knit his eyebrows together as he let it slowly sink in.

"Would you tell Kyoko-san that you're safe and back with us?" Nokia asked him. "You should be able to reach her with your Digivice."

Takumi nodded as he quickly dialed in her number but try as he might, the woman wouldn't answer. "Kyoko-san…"

"You're not having any luck with yours, either?" Arata sympathetically frowned.

"Kyoko-san, just where did you go off to?" Nokia worriedly asked.

Takumi closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Concerned that he wasn't taking the news well, Yuuko shook her head. "Takumi-san, we did everything we could to find her. We're—"

"No, it's fine," he opened his eyes. "I believe in Kyoko-san. I'm sure she knows I'm safe too…" He smiled as he remembered her resolute belief in his abilities as well as his absolute trust in her. "For now, I want to catch up on everything that's happened since my last Connect Jump. I need to know what's happening to Tokyo."

The three teens stared at him in surprise as the Cyber Sleuth calmly reached for the television remote on the coffee table. It was strange to see him so serious and in control, but it wasn't as if Takumi had a choice in the matter. He was only doing what he believed—or rather, knew—Kyoko would do if she were here. For starters, he would have to check what was on the news channel. Even if he learned the actual truth of the situation from them, it wouldn't help if he didn't understand public's perception of it. The detective agency was shady enough as it is and since Kyoko wasn't here, it was his job and his alone to keep it afloat. He was her assistant after all and a Cyber Sleuth on top of that.

"The government is rushing to respond to the mysterious phenomenon that is still blanketing the greater Tokyo area," the newscaster reported. "We asked specialists about this strange phenomenon, which makes it seem like victims have become lost in some kind of virtual world and—"

"Have you looked outside?" Arata asked the redhead. "The real world has been changing ever since. This is all they can talk about on the TV news. Know-nothing 'experts' have theory after theory."

"A major Digital Shift has been occurring since the Dimensional Door opened," Yuuko added, "and it's showing no signs of resolving itself anytime soon. And Digimon are wandering free around Tokyo."

"I'm not worried about the Digimon," Arata shook his head. "It's the Eaters who're attacking people indiscriminately." He scowled at himself. "Damn! If only I could've stopped them faster!"

"We already said we weren't going to go there, Arata!" Nokia scolded him.

"How can you be so casual about this?" Arata glared at her. "Eaters are attacking people as we speak!"

"That may be true, but…" Nokia frowned. "And then there's Kishibe… LordKnightmon, right? She's still totally on the loose!"

"That's right," Yuuko seriously nodded. "We still haven't picked up her trail. Hackers have abducted Kishibe Rie, the CEO of Kamishiro. Or at least that's what the idiots in the media are speculating."

"It doesn't matter what it is," Nokia sighed. "Hackers are responsible for all the bad things that are happening. Everyone's happy to paint them as the villains."

"It's no big surprise," Arata slipped his hands into his pockets. "Usually hackers ARE up to no good in their day-to-day activities. But this time the real harm came when the hackers failed."

Nokia's frown deepened. "That's why I said we weren't going go there!"

Arata shook his head at her before looking over towards Takumi who was still staring at the television. "But what about your disappearance? What happened? Tell us about it."

"Hm?" Takumi turned away from the news. "I don't really know how to describe it… It's like the Eaters pulled me into another world."

"You mean like when you tried to save me?" Yuuko asked.

The redhead shook his head. "No, not like that. I wasn't in a network, but a jungle being devoured by Eaters. I would have been eaten myself, but I met…" he paused before lifting his blue eyes towards Yuuko. "Well, Yuugo saved me." As he expected, the girl's eyes widened as she let out a short gasp. "That's all I can really say."

"You can't explain it?" Arata asked. "Surely it wasn't all just a dream or anything."

"No, it really did happen," Takumi seriously stated.

"Did… did you really meet my brother?" Yuuko asked.

"Yeah," Takumi nodded. "We spoke for a while. He thanked me for saving you and wanted to let you all know that he's fine. He wanted to say something else too, but…" he closed his eyes as he remembered the mysterious Digimon that saved him. "I came back after that," he finished as he opened his eyes.

Yuuko frowned to herself. "He lies in Central Hospital, unconscious and in a coma after succumbing to EDEN Syndrome. And to think you talked to him…"

"Was it like he was an avatar from EDEN?" Nokia asked.

Takumi shook his head. "He said his body is like mine except it's completely digital rather than half."

"He thanked you for helping me?" Yuuko knit her eyebrows together. "My brother said that?"

Takumi gave her a small smile and nodded. "Yeah…"

"Onii-chan…" Yuuko lowered her gaze as a strange expression appeared on her face. Takumi didn't know whether she wanted to cry out of relief or sadness but he said nothing as Yuuko suddenly looked up at him. "I want to rescue him!" she declared. "I will find a cure for EDEN Syndrome. It will save the countless people who suffer from EDEN Syndrome and save the EDEN my father built. To that end, I must find that person and finish things once and for all. Let's find Kishibe Rie… I mean LordKnightmon!"

Takumi blinked at her, surprised by the calm fury he was sensing from her voice. "Yuuko-san…?"

Yuuko ignored the concerned frown he was giving her. "She must be involved in my father's death and I'm betting she knows more about the Eaters, too."

"I can't forgive Kishibe either," Arata scowled. "She used the existence of hackers to her own personal gain."

"Arata, too?" Takumi's frown deepened in concern over his two friends' deep-seated desire for revenge.

"Royal Knights are high level Digimon, right? We gotta find a way to fend them off and the Eaters too," the older boy crossed his arms.

"I'm worried about the Digimon…" Nokia nodded before frowning. "They're probably panicking due to all the sudden changes. They don't know what's going on and might lash out in fear. Left as things are, an actual fight might break out between humans and Digimon. Omegamon says he wants to put a stop to that!" Nokia stated in determination. "And so Rebellions are gonna help Omegamon! In other words," she smirked, "it's time to execute the Love-Love Digimon Initiative to the Max!"

Takumi smiled as he didn't have to worry about his best friend succumbing to such dark thoughts. "Nokia…"

Arata smiled as they finished catching Takumi up. "It seems we've decided what we want… no," he shook his head, "what we have to do."

Takumi brought his hand up to his mouth and closed his eyes. "Yeah… I guess that leaves taking care of the agency to me. I'll stay here and do whatever I can. After all, I'm a Cyber Sleuth and Kyoko-san's—" his eyes snapped open as pain shot through his entire being. Looking down, his entire body seemed to be engulfed in flickering static. After a while, his form stabilized and he took a moment to catch his breath.

"What was that?" Nokia asked in panic. "Takumi?"

"Hey, Takumi…" Arata's eyes were wide in fear.

"Are you okay?" Yuuko brought her hands up to her mouth.

"I'm… fine…" Takumi nodded as he stared at his trembling right hand. "It's nothing. Don't worry about it."

"Hey, your half-cyber body…" Arata frowned. "There's a large-scale Digital Shift taking place. It might be affecting your body, too."

"It's fine," Takumi firmly stated before trying to laugh it off. "My half-cyber body is more stable in a half-cyber world anyways," he pointed out, despite it not being entirely true. "Besides," he turned towards the entrance as he sensed someone approaching, "we have a visitor." His three friends looked to the door in surprise as Matayoshi entered.

"Oh, Detective!" Nokia smiled at him.

"I should have figured you'd all be here," Matayoshi nodded to them.

"Kyoko-san isn't here," Yuuko told him. "Can we help you with something?"

"Well," the man frowned as he slipped his hands into his coat pockets, "I actually came to see—"

"Me, right?" Arata frowned.

"You figured that out quick," Matayoshi crossed his arms.

The raven-haired teen did the same thing. "I thought you'd come for me sooner or later. It's about that hacking case, right?"

"Yes. Before long, you—Sanada Arata—will be on the wanted list."

"Wanted list…!?" Takumi asked in surprise.

"What?" Nokia cried out. "Wh-wh-wh-why is that gonna happen!?"

"A warrant came during the blackout," Matayoshi explained, "and then there was the disappearance of Kamishiro's CEO…"

"Wait!" Yuuko cried out. "Sure, he was hacking, but he had a just cause! And as for Rie-san's disappearance…"

"I know," the detective nodded, "but my superiors want Sanada brought in for questioning, as a person of interest."

"They've selected a scapegoat in the hopes of easing public panic, right?" Arata asked. "That's how the big shots think."

"I'm sorry to say it, but you're right. I've heard the facts from Kyo-chan though. I might not know as much as you kids, but I'm starting to get a handle on what's been going on throughout Tokyo lately. I will have a word with my boss. So, Sanada, your job is to stay here under police protection, okay?"

Arata closed his eyes and took in a deep breath as he thought about it. "No," he finally answered.

"Arata…?" Takumi frowned as he guessed what his friend was about to do. It just wasn't in Arata's nature to simply follow the rules, especially if following them put his friends in a bad position.

"Hey! Run out on us and you'll be in it even deeper!" Matayoshi pointed out. "You're still a minor. Listen to me. I'm an adult."

"Hey, Arata?" Nokia tried reasoning with him. "Wouldn't it be better to do what the Detective says for a change?"

"Besides," Yuuko added, "the reason he was hacking in the first place was all part of a plan to rescue me. All of us are involved in these cases. We're all equally guilty. If you want to question Arata, then we should all share responsibility."

"Whoa, hey, Kamishiro Yuuko-san," Arata frowned at her. "This is getting a bit too messy."

"It's the truth," Yuuko frowned back. "You shouldn't have to bear this all alone. Stop trying to be so tough."

"But then again, you were 'Yuugo'. You'll know what I'm about to say," he told her with a smirk. "I'm not trying to take a stand, waiting for someone to cover for me. What happens when the cops finger all of us?" He looked over towards Takumi as he knew the deceptively sharp boy would understand. "There's some stuff I have to do, right?"

"Arata…" Takumi frowned but nodded anyways.

Yuuko looked between the boys but remained silent. She caught on to Arata's motives too but it still didn't bode well with her. Still, if she felt that way, it must be even worse for someone as soft as Takumi, yet even he wasn't going to stop Arata.

Satisfied the two level-headed teens weren't going to stand in his way, Arata turned back to face the old man. "Let's pretend that outburst just now never happened, Detective Matayoshi. You probably would have anyway. If Yuuko and the others are guilty, then so are you. You got 'information' from Kyoko-san, right?"

"Hmm?" Matayoshi crossed his arms and smirked. "What are you talking about? Sorry. I was thinking about whether Date was up to anything illicit again. I was distracted and wasn't listening."

"Thanks," Arata smirked as he slipped his hands into his pockets. "And I'm sorry, but I can't go along with your suggestions. Me, under the protection of a stodgy old adult like you? Yeah, that's not happening," he scoffed.

"You're not afraid to speak your mind, kid," Matayoshi remarked. "Still, you're not in any position to be tough, you know."

"That's not it… I don't think the police will understand my story. I guess I trust you though," the boy shrugged. He quickly turned towards the exit. "So I'm a wanted fugitive now. One more item off my bucket list. Excellent! But that means… I won't be able to stay with you all anymore," he told his friends before starting for the door.

"Arata?" Nokia frowned at him as she wanted to stop him.

"Hang on there, Sanada!" Matayoshi cried out. "Don't do anything foolish!"

Arata laughed. "Now who's the fool? When have you ever heard of a hacker backing down because someone told them to stop?" Matayoshi tried to come towards him but Arata quickly called Infermon out, to the man's surprise. The hacker chuckled at his Digimon. "It sure is handy being able to summon up Digimon at will! With this I can get away no problem!"

"Arata!" Takumi scolded him. "That's going too far, don't you think?"

Arata flashed him a wry smile. "Oh, yeah, that's right, Takumi. You really are too soft-hearted. I'd get that fixed if I were you."

Takumi lowered his gaze and frowned. "You say that… but you know I can't… I don't like seeing others in pain…"

The older boy sighed as there was no helping his friend's weakness. "All right, then," he turned his back to the redhead. "It was pretty cool hanging out with you all! See ya!" He quickly slipped out the door before Matayoshi could come after him.

"Wait, Sanada!" The old detective shook his head as he quickly took off after the teenager.

"Arata…" Nokia knit her eyebrows together in confusion and concern. "Why? What'll we do?"

"What do you mean?" Takumi asked. "We already said we'd do what we'd have to, didn't we?"

"Huh?" the girl looked towards him with a strange expression.

"If Arata-san looks guilty, then the rest of us are free to move about as before," Yuuko explained to her. "We need to hurry up and solve the case as soon as we can. Solve it and we can prove Arata-san's innocence. That's what he's trying to accomplish for us here."

"What? Really?" Nokia tried to smirk at that. "If that's it, then he should just say so! What a pain! And such a poser! Arata, you grandstanding buffoon!"

"He certainly is grandstanding," Yuuko agreed with an annoyed frown on her face. "It's like an affliction with him."

"Hmm…" Takumi crossed his arms, "I remember Kyoko-san saying the same thing about him once… Still, he's given us this chance."

"He's taken on a big risk," Yuuko nodded. "We won't let that be in vain."

"You're right," Nokia smiled. "We have to do our jobs, too!"

"I'll look for Rie-san," Yuuko seriously stated. "I'll be in touch if I find anything."

"I'll work on the Love-Love Digimon Initiative to the Max, collecting info, friendship and love from the Digimon!" Nokia declared.

With a nod, both girls left the agency, leaving the Cyber Sleuth to his own devices. Takumi looked around the lonely office and sighed to himself. It was strange for him to return here without Kyoko ready to greet him and thank him for a job well done. "I wonder where she went off to," he stated aloud as he sat at her desk. He closed his eyes to think but nothing came to mind. Instead, his thoughts wandered over to his friend who was now a fugitive. "Arata will probably remain on the wanted list, I bet," he sighed as he opened his eyes. "What should I do next?" he asked himself before resting his forehead on the wooden desk. He breathed in the warm scent of coffee beans and other unidentifiable ingredients that definitely did not go well with the drink's aroma before a smile returned to his face. He quickly stood to his feet and started towards the office kitchen. "I guess I'll be doing whatever I can!" he told himself with a nod before grabbing the empty coffee pot. "Now let's see… One part mayonnaise to two parts coffee," he nodded as he searched the cabinets for anything else he thought Kyoko would throw into the coffee.

* * *

 **Final Notes:** And here is when the entire game decides to take a turn for the depressing... Kyoko's absence really does takes its toll on Takumi... But anyway, we properly meet Yuugo! He's a lot gentler than his Zaxon counterpart, in my opinion, but I'd say the real Yuugo can be equally as fearsome if he needs to be. He just isn't because he's not really in a position to do much. Also, the localization mistranslated his little warning to Takumi since the way Japanese works, you have the negation of the verb after the verb itself. Yuugo really does say "find him", but because the "don't" part is syntactically after that in Japanese, his message doesn't really get across. Oh, as for the string of questions from the Pale Boy. He's pretty much asking, "Who are you? Who am I? Who is who? For you? For me? For whom? Who, who, who?" Pretty creepy... but then again, the Eaters are the embodiment of creepy.


	20. Tokyo Digification

**Author's Notes:** Somehow, this chapter is even shorter than yesterday's. Probably because there's less exposition... and really, the task you're assigned is super simple.

* * *

"Doggedly and with all your might, exhibit endurance like hard black iron," Takumi reminded himself as he looked up at the agency's motto. "Don't worry, Kyoko-san, just leave the office to me." He turned when the door suddenly swung open. "A client!?" he smirked as he turned around. "Welcome to the Kuremi—" his smile fell when a certain brown-haired detective came in. "Ah… Inspector Date…"

"Oh, it's just you?" Date frowned at the boy. "It's true then. That fishy sleuth woman really has disappeared."

Takumi sighed. "Do you really have to say that out loud?" A concerned frown appeared on the redhead's face as he sadly wondered where the detective could be.

"Don't look at me like that! You've got a bad attitude!" Date glared at him. "I'll arrest you," she threatened him as a way to cheer him up.

"You know… that doesn't sound so bad…" Takumi glumly muttered. _If I'm in a pinch, maybe Kyoko-san will…_ His face scrunched up in even more pain.

"Hey, there's no use getting down over it!" Date shook her head at him. "Just wait it out! That sleuth lady friend of yours will be back before you know it."

Takumi let out a heavy sigh but shook his head as he had to keep believing Kyoko would return. "Y-yeah…" he tried to crack a small smile. "In the meantime, I'll have to do my best for the agency."

"Still, I didn't think you'd be the only one here," Data scratched the back of her head. "Man, what am I gonna do?"

"Oh?" the teen's grin widened. "You have a case for the Kuremi Detective Agency? Or are you planning to arrest a depressed kid?"

"You're really annoying…" Date frowned at him. "But that's better than being depressed," she shrugged.

"Of course!" Takumi nodded. "So what can I do for you, Inspector?"

"Guess I've got no choice but to go with you," she crossed her arms. "I need the help anyway."

Takumi tilted his head to the side as his usual pep for work returned. "What sort of case is it?"

"I'll say there were extenuating circumstances…" Data frowned.

"Can I come out now?" a muffled voice came from behind the sofa, causing Date to worriedly turn towards it.

"Oh, yeah. Come on out," she called to the voice.

"Yay!" a small brown bunny Digimon resembling Terriermon ran towards Takumi. "I'm Lopmon. Nice to meet you!"

Takumi's blue eyes widened. "So cute…!" A silly smirk appeared on his face before he realized what was going on. "W-wait, does your case have to deal with Digimon!?" he asked in surprise.

"Is this the one?" Lopmon asked Date. "The one who'll hear me out?"

"This is your client," Data told the teen. "It's a missing person… I mean, 'missing Digimon' case."

"Please have a seat," Takumi nodded to the adorable Digimon and inspector and extended his arm towards the client's sofa. He continued to smirk as Lopmon sat on Date's shoulder as she relaxed on the couch. "So I'm looking for a missing Digimon…" he nodded to Lopmon.

"Um, so, I've lost my friend Tokomon," the brown bunny explained as he pulled out a childish sketch of the missing Digimon. "He's so small and now he's lost. Please help me look for Tokomon!"

"I found Lopmon just wandering the streets," Data explained. "I couldn't just leave him out there. And then I thought about you guys. You're good with this sort of weird case, right?" she asked.

"I guess you can say that," Takumi nodded.

"There are cases like this all over Tokyo now," the inspector frowned. "It's pandemonium out there. Even us police officers aren't sure what to do. But then, I came across this little fella. I can understand him. He's not violent. And…" she averted her gaze from the Cyber Sleuth. "He's so… so… He's so gosh-darned cute!"

"Right?" Takumi brightly smiled as he shared her sentiments.

"Hey!" Date glared at him. "Did you just laugh at me? Sorry for, um, breaking character like that!"

"E-eh!?" the redhead blinked at her. "N-no… Uh…"

"Anyway," she shook her head. "It's not like me to just take it out on them because they're Digimon. He's harmless and in trouble, so I let him tag along with me."

"Excuse me," Lopmon turned towards the woman, "but there are lots of kinds of Digimon. Calm ones, wild ones…"

"Never mind that," Date apologetically frowned at the small Digimon. "The same is true for humans, after all. But… But lemme touch your ears later…" she smiled. "How'd they get so fluffy? I bet they're soft!"

"I wanna try too," Takumi smiled.

Date gasped as she remembered the redhead was there. "Anyway!" she cried, "I've got to go help out at Matayoshi-san's place. I'm leaving Lopmon with you! Keep an eye on him! Got that?"

Takumi brought his hand to his mouth and closed his eyes. He tensed up as he thought he could hear Kyoko speaking to him. _"A client is a client, whether human or Digimon. No matter what!"_

He snapped his eyes open after an image of the detective appeared before him, sternly nodding to him. "I understand, Kyoko-san," he muttered to himself before lowering his hand. "Just leave this to me, Inspector," he seriously nodded to his client. "I'll take care of it."

"Thank you!" Date smiled at him. "The rest is up to you. Make him cry and I'll never forgive you!" She got up and started for the exit before remembering a message she was supposed to pass onto the boy from her superior. "Oh, yeah. Matayoshi-san told me to tell you something."

"What is it?" Takumi asked, noticing the seriousness in her tone.

"Your friend… Arata, I think his name was? A warrant has been issued for his arrest," she told him.

"Arrest?" the redhead frowned. "But Detective Matayoshi said before that he was only a person of interest!"

"Well, he's on the national wanted list now," Date stated. "Some top-brass idiots think that Arata was the key figure behind all of this weirdness. Don't get me wrong. Matayoshi-san went above and beyond to try to clear things up. But it was in one ear and out the other," she frowned. "When Arata ran, he looked even more suspicious."

"Arata…" Takumi made a fist with his right and brought it up to his chest.

"Hey, don't worry!" Date quickly tried to reassure him before he would fall into depression again. "Matayoshi-san is on it. It'll all work out in the end!" She smirked as she admitted something to the boy. "I was a brat sometimes too when I was a kid. Just look after that fella for me, okay? There was a reason behind what you did, right? Then don't fret! Matayoshi-san doesn't give up on people just like that."

"Yeah…" Takumi nodded in understanding. "Thanks, Inspector Date."

"Well, see you later!" she flashed him a smirk before turning toward the door. "Look after the little guy for me!"

Lopmon frowned up at Takumi. "Your friend is lost too?"

"Ah…" Takumi looked towards the small Digimon with a sad frown on his face. "Yeah… Not just one either…"

"We'll look together, then!" Lopmon jumped off the sofa and onto Takumi's shoulder. "We'll find them, I'm sure!"

"Right!" Takumi quickly smiled at the adorable Digimon's actions. "Let's get started!"

"Okay! Now that that's decided, let's go friend-searching!" Lopmon raised one of his ears into the air.

"Ah…" Takumi blinked as he looked around the empty agency. "I'll need someone to look after the office…"

"Leave that to me!" a voice cried out from the office kitchen.

Takumi turned around in surprise. "Pete!? What are you doing here?"

The Wanyamon smirked as he settled down on the sofa Kyoko usually sat at. "Hey, I was able to come to the real world too! I know it's 'cause bad stuff is happening, but… it's so nice to be here with Kyoko-san and everyone!" He noticed Takumi frowning since the detective wasn't really here. "I wonder where Kyoko-san went. I know it's a little lonely…" he stated as he affectionately rubbed his head against Takumi, "but since she's gone, I'll help you instead!"

"Thanks, Pete," the Cyber Sleuth smiled at him. "Well, we're off," he nodded to his work partner.

"Have a safe trip!" Pete grinned at him.

* * *

Takumi frowned as he looked around Shibuya. The Scramble Crossing was a huge mess with Digimon running about but he focused on his task. "Do you see Tokomon?" he asked the bunny standing on top of his head.

"No…" Lopmon frowned.

"Let's go a bit further in," Takumi suggested as he crossed the street. His eyes widened though as he spotted Nokia calming down a small group of Baby I Digimon. "Nokia!"

"Takumi?" the girl was a bit surprised to see him outside of the office. "What are you doing out here? And what's with the Digimon hat?" she crookedly smiled at him.

"I'm helping Lopmon search for his missing friend," Takumi explained. "Here, I have a picture," he showed her the handmade drawing of Tokomon.

"What?" she blinked at the sketch. "I see! So you're searching for his friend?" Nokia smirked as Takumi nodded. "Excellent, Takumi! Good job! You're a great Rebellions prof! But where's the prof-it in that, right?" she joked. "Never mind! I'll help look! The Rebellions' motto is 'No Digimon, No Life!' Oh, and also 'To the Digital World'!" she exclaimed. "I can't leave these cute Digimon alone!" she crooned over the Baby I Digimon she rescued.

"Alright," Takumi nodded with a smile on his face. "But back to searching for Tokomon…"

"I'll gather info in the real world," she told him. "You should look into that friend in EDEN!"

"Sure," the Cyber Sleuth nodded.

"Okay! Find out all you can!" Nokia cheered before beginning her search.

"I'll leave this to Nokia and head to EDEN," Takumi told himself. "Let's go, Lopmon."

* * *

Takumi looked around EDEN's free area before spotting Yuuko. His face lit up as he approached her but he paused when he noticed she was wearing a Digimon on her head too. "Yuuko-san…?" he blinked at her.

The girl suddenly turned around to face him and her eyes widened. "Oh, Takumi-san." She noticed the brown rabbit napping on his head before noticing his cheeks were turning pink.

"So cute…!" Takumi goofily grinned. Yuuko didn't say anything as she quickly averted her gaze. Her face was also beginning to heat up as he continued to stare at her. The redhead didn't mind though as he smiled at the adorable little Baby II Digimon on her head. "Hey, Yuuko-san, who's your little friend?"

"Umm… He seems to have taken a liking to me," she uncomfortably frowned.

Takumi studied the white Digimon affectionately hugging her head before blinking. "Hmm?" He gently shook Lopmon awake. "Hey, isn't this Tokomon?"

The brown bunny rubbed his eyes. "Oh-ho? Oh-ho-ho?" he brightened.

Tokomon finally looked up from Yuuko and blinked back at Lopmon. "Kyu?"

Lopmon began jumping happily on top of Takumi's head. "Hey! It's Tokomon!"

"Kyu, kyu!" Tokomon began jumping too. "Lopmon!"

Yuuko blinked as the two tackled each other for a hug. She frowned when Takumi's strange smile widened. "Ah…!" he happily grinned. "So cute!"

"Tokomon! Thank goodness!" Lopmon circled the smaller Digimon. "We were looking for you!"

"I'm sorry I had you so worried!" Tokomon cried.

"Isn't this great, Lopmon?" Takumi wore a gentle smile. "You found your friend…"

"I see," Yuuko said as she stood at his side. "You came here looking for this little guy."

"Yeah…" Takumi nodded. "Lopmon and I were looking around the real world for a while before we came to EDEN. So how did you come across Tokomon, Yuuko-san?" he asked as he watched the two Digimon play.

"While I was making my rounds in EDEN, he was here the whole time, shaking in the corner." Yuuko frowned at how terrified Tokomon had been, "The poor thing."

"Eh? Making your rounds?" Takumi turned to look at her in mild surprise.

"I was checking up on EDEN actually," she told him with a nod.

"But why?" he asked.

"Kamishiro is short-staffed right now," she answered, "so… I figure if there's anything I can do to help… And actually, I'm also trying to bring the truth about Rie-san into the light as well," she seriously stated. "Once everyone knows that the real criminal is Kishibe Rie—no, LordKnightmon—then Arata-san will be cleared of any suspicion."

"That's true…" Takumi nodded as he understood her reasoning.

"To do that, I'm bringing back the executives that Rie-san kicked out of the company," Yuuko continued. "With their help, I'll release all the information Rie-san was keeping secret to the public so that we can rebuild a new EDEN. The fact EDEN is being restored so quickly is thanks to them," she smiled before looking at the world around them. "They may be few in number, but they excel at what they do. The appearance of Digimon has Tokyo in an uproar," she frowned before giving Takumi a determined look. "That's why the EDEN Network, the key to disseminating information, must be strong. And Fei is helping me as well. She should be guarding EDEN while I'm chasing down Rie-san."

"I see," Takumi gently smiled at her. He paused when he noticed Lopmon and Tokomon rushing towards him. The redhead knelt down and tilted his head to the side. "Is everything all right?"

"Thank you, Detective," Lopmon smiled at him as he continued to jump up and down. "Thank you, nice lady," he nodded to Yuuko.

"Thank you!" Tokomon squeaked.

Yuuko knelt down and smiled at them. Takumi blinked at her happy expression and quickly turned away to hide his blush. "So cute…"

Yuuko giggled at him, thinking he was referring to the Digimon. "The EDEN my father built took away so much," she sadly stated, "but the true EDEN should not be like that. Bringing together human with humans, Digimon with Digimon, and humans with Digimon!" She remembered that had been what Takumi loved most about EDEN. "The new EDEN will be that kind of place," she told her friend with a nod. "You'll see."

"I look forward to seeing that EDEN," Takumi nodded, looking back at her.

"Let me know if there are any new developments," she worriedly told him. "I'll help out where and when I can."

"Shouldn't I be saying that to you, Yuuko-san?" Takumi asked.

"Eh?" she frowned at him.

The redhead shook his head and smiled at Lopmon and Tokomon. "You're already doing so much to repair the damage Kishibe caused to Kamishiro Enterprise. If there's anything you need, just give me a call. I want—no, I _need_ to do all that I can while Kyoko-san is gone…"

Yuuko noticed the sadness in his usually brilliant eyes. "Takumi-san…"

"Eh?" Takumi quickly shook his head and tried to erase all traces of his melancholy from his face. "Oh, by the way, thanks for helping me, Yuuko-san. I'm glad you found Tokomon before something happened," he chuckled as he stood back up.

Yuuko got back up too but noticed Takumi was doing his best to avoid eye contact. "I'm glad I could help," she smiled. "But, Takumi-san, you should rest every now and then," she worriedly told him.

"H-huh…?" the taller teen blinked at her.

"For me, a quick ice cream break does the trick!" she stated with a determined nod.

"Ice… cream?"

"That's right," the raven-haired girl smiled. "I feel better the more I eat and I know an excellent vendor that serves all-you-can-eat ice cream. Although… I think only fifteen scoops is my limit," she frowned. She shook her head as she stared straight into Takumi's blue eyes. "I'll take you there the next time you need a break!" she offered.

"Ice cream…" Takumi took a moment to consider it. "That sounds nice actually," he smiled. "Alright," he nodded. "The next time you're free, we'll go for ice cream."

"I look forward to it," Yuuko nodded before turning towards the terminal. "Now then…"

"Yuuko-san," Takumi called out to her as she started walking, "thanks…"

"Uh… it's n-nothing," she stammered as she looked back towards him before taking the terminal somewhere else.

Takumi watched her disappear before smiling to himself. "Ice cream," he nodded before pausing. "I… scream…?" He weakly laughed at that. "No… I don't have time to waste screaming and feeling sorry for myself. I even made Yuuko-san worry…" He quickly shrugged off his depressed thoughts before turning back to the two reunited Digimon. He was about to call out to them but his Digivice began to ring. He answered with the slight hope that it could be Kyoko. He didn't allow himself to waver though as he nodded to the caller. "Hey, Nokia. What's up?"

"It's no good, Takumi," she frowned. "There were no witnesses in Shibuya. What's next?"

"Don't worry about it!" Takumi gave her a reassuring smile. "Tokomon turned out to be in EDEN after all. I have him here with me right now."

"What?" she cheered up. "You found him already? That's great! Uh, I mean, hey, great work! You sure know your stuff!" she praised him, just in case he was feeling down. "Now that's a true detective! A real professional! Or is this like Project Z?" she smirked.

"W-well," Takumi wryly chuckled, "Yuuko-san was the one to actually find him… She's the one who deserves all the credit here…" He shook his head. "Anyway, we'd better do something about the Digimon."

"Okay! Let's meet up at the agency then!" Nokia nodded.

* * *

Nokia sighed in relief as Lopmon and Tokomon jumped around on the sofas. "I'm so glad you found him!" she told Takumi. "You say he was at Yuuko-chi's place?"

"Yuuko-san found him in EDEN's free area," Takumi nodded.

"Thank you for helping me find him!" Lopmon happily smiled at the Cyber Sleuth.

"Thank you!" Tokomon cried.

"Like I said, Yuuko-san deserves the thanks," Takumi chuckled. "But… Nokia… What should we do with them?"

Nokia chuckled at his question. "You can count on me! Rebellions are friends to lost Digimon!" She gave the pair of Digimon a concerned smile. "Do you two have a proper place to live? Can you return to your world?"

Both Digimon stopped jumping and Lopmon frowned. "We fell from that gigantic hold that opened in the sky a little while ago! We lost each other while running from the Eaters who fell from the sky with us."

"I see," Nokia frowned. She quickly brightened though as an idea came to her. "Well, then! Why don't you come to my place?"

"Your place?" Lopmon tilted his head to the side.

The girl nodded. "Together with Omegamon, we're creating a haven for Digimon with nowhere to go. The more the merrier!"

"Omegamon?" Lopmon began jumping again in amazement. "Of the Royal Knights! Wow! We get to meet him?"

"But of course!" Nokia grinned. "Come with me. I'll introduce you." She turned towards the Cyber Sleuth and nodded to him. "Leave these two to me, Takumi!"

"Are you sure?" he asked in concern.

"Of course! Besides, you need to be a good detective while Kyoko-san is gone!" she pointed out. "If the reputation of the agency suffers while Kyoko-san is away," an ominous frown appeared on her face, "there'll be a warm spot in Hell just for you!"

"Eh!?" Takumi blinked at her as she took the two Digimon and left. When he was alone again, the boy chuckled at both Yuuko's and Nokia's attempts to cheer him up. "It's as you say. I've got to handle the cases while Kyoko-san is away! Besides," he sighed, "I don't think I could handle Hell."

* * *

 **Final Notes:** I find the chapters with Kyoko missing to be painfully lonely... It doesn't help that Arata is also gone too so the sudden loss of two of the main cast really does negatively affect everyone's morale. Still, it's reassuring Takumi isn't completely alone. He has Nokia and Yuuko to assist him! A rather odd team, but it's better than nothing. Oh, let's not forget Pete! Although... I wonder how clients would react to seeing such an adorable cat Digimon greet them as they come in... I suspect it makes the agency look even sketchier...


	21. Kuremi Detective Agency's Cyber Sleuth

**Author's Notes:** The previous two chapters really could have been combined into one chapter... And this chapter's placement was pretty weird to me, but I guess it technically is supposed to prolong the last chapter. Oh well... Time for more side cases. Two plot related ones and one DLC case in between! It's time to see how our wonderful Cyber Sleuth is faring on his own!

* * *

~NIGHT~OF~THE~ENIGMA~

Takumi sputtered as he managed to chug down the strange combination of coffee and curry he made for himself. "It's still not as bad as Kyoko-san's version," he shook his head in disappointment and confusion. "Honestly, she must have some sort of weird ability to poison the ingredients or something, but I guess that's enough coffee for now." He quickly wiped his mouth on the back of his glove before returning to the office's main room. "Kyoko-san might be gone but the agency is still here. I wonder if there are any new cases."

"Nope, none!" Pete piped up from the sofa.

The Cyber Sleuth smirked at the Wanyamon lazily curling up on the couch. "Are you sure you're really working?"

"Hmmhmmhmm…" Pete happily rolled around before blinking at the redhead staring at him. "Hmm? You think I'm lazing around like an ordinary cat, don't you?"

"Yeah, it kinda does look like you are," Takumi smirked as he blushed at how cute the Digimon was being. "It's extremely adorable actually…"

"I'll have you know that keeping the sofa warm is important work!" Pete haughtily exclaimed.

"Is it really that important?" Takumi snickered.

"Of course it is!" the Wanyamon nodded. "This helps our clients feel nice and comfy when they sit down!" he purred as he began rolling on the sofa again. "You should sit here!" Pete suggested before jumping to the other sofa. "You'll fall sound asleep!"

"Kyoko-san would kill me if she found out I used the client's sofa for a nap," Takumi frowned but sat down anyways. "H-hey, this really does…" he yawned, "feel nice…" It wasn't much longer before he completely passed out.

Pete worriedly frowned at how exhausted Takumi was. "Ah… you finally took a break…" He jumped onto the boy's chest and rubbed his head affectionately against the human. "Takumi… You're pushing yourself too hard…" Pete lazily yawned before taking a nap of his own on top of the sleeping teen.

* * *

Takumi opened his eyes and looked around in confusion. "Where am I?" He frowned at the strange Digital Network he was in, but he never remembered performing a Connect Jump. He shook his head as it didn't really matter at this point. "Well, let's just keep going forward for now."

When he emerged at the other side, he took a look around and noticed he was in an area of Tokyo he had never seen before. A bit confused, he wanted to ask the young girl standing next to a statue of a man walking a dog about where he was, but she didn't seem to notice he was there.

"Hey! Sorry I'm late!" she smiled as she set the bags she carried on the ground. "But look! Look! I've brought food, just like you asked!"

Takumi remained silent as he watched two Digimon approach her. One was a slug-like creature while the other seemed to be a red rodent of some kind. The red Digimon smiled up at the girl as he eagerly wanted to dig through the bags himself. "Fuuka, hurry up! Hurry up!"

"Hey, wait your turn!" Fuuka scolded him. "Lekkie, you'll get yours soon enough! All right, come on, New-New!" she helped the slug Digimon to his share.

"Your food is always so tasty, Fuuka!" New-New happily exclaimed as they began eating.

"Jeez, you two are always such pigs!" Fuuka giggled.

Lekkie looked up towards the brunette. "I wanna play with Fuuka once we're done eating!" he declared.

"Yeah, let's play!" the girl nodded in agreement.

Lekkie quickly turned around and started running. New-New did his best to chase after the energetic Digimon. "Hey, wait!" he cried. "I wanna pla—" the slug Digimon suddenly fell into a coughing fit.

"New-New," Fuuka worriedly frowned as she knelt at his side, "you don't have to rush. Take it slow."

Takumi watched the three of them for a while with a gentle smile on his face before closing his eyes. "A world where humans and Digimon connect to each other…" he wistfully sighed. He opened his eyes again and blinked when he noticed he was back at the agency. "Huh…?" he carefully sat up as he gathered his bearings. "Was that a dream…?" the boy frowned to himself.

"You're awake!" Pete cried from the other sofa. "We've got a new case to solve!" he notified the Cyber Sleuth. "Stop sunbathing like a cat and check the board!"

"Oh, right!" Takumi nodded as he noticed Pete posted a request. "Wait…" he frowned at the Digimon. "How did you put this up? You're don't even have any limbs!"

"I have my ways!" Pete toothily grinned as the boy took the note down.

"You know, that's just grounds for me to make that a case," Takumi chuckled before reading the case brief.

 _Client: Masanori_

 _Place: Ueno_

 _Details: Help my sister!_

"Since Kyoko-san's not around, I went ahead and took this case for her!" Pete proudly stated as Takumi started a new case file.

"Okay, I have to know. How'd you do it, Pete?" Takumi smirked as he petted the limbless Baby II Digimon.

"Don't look at me like that!" the Digimon pouted. "I can answer the phone and do e-mail as well as anyone else!"

"Sure, sure," the redhead chuckled.

"Anyway, onto the case itself," Pete nodded at the note. "Our client's name is… oh yeah, Masanori! And he wants us to… help his sister, I think? That's it?"

"Well, that's what was on the note," Takumi shrugged. A wide smile appeared on his face and he straightened up. "Eh, good enough!"

"Eh? That's good enough for you?" Pete raised an eyebrow at the boy. "Uuuh, I don't really get why you don't need to know more, but work is work, so I'm good. Anyway, he said to visit him in Ueno where he'll explain what he wants more." Pete chuckled at the chance to be working at the agency. "I feel like a real detective doing this sorta stuff!"

"Well, I'm off then," Takumi nodded to him. "Hmm… Ueno…"

"Oh, is it your first time going over there?" the Digimon asked him. "Be careful!"

* * *

Takumi blinked at the statue of a man walking a dog. "H-huh…? Didn't I see this before? In that dream?" He knit his eyebrows together as the area seemed extremely familiar despite this being his first time here. He would have contemplated the strange sense of déjà vu a bit more, but a boy's voice caught his attention.

"Psst! Over here!"

"Hmm?" Takumi turned and spotted a teenager hiding in the bushes.

"Here, here. You're the Cyber Sleuth, right?" The strange boy quickly motioned Takumi to come over. "I'm Masanori, the guy who called you up for this. Here, come this way."

"I'm Aiba Takumi," the redhead introduced himself as he approached the boy with light brown hair. "I'm here to take your case."

"Thanks for doing this for me," Masanori smiled at him. "Anyway, it sucks to admit it, but I don't think I can protect my little sister by myself." He frowned to himself. "I guess I should explain what I mean by that. You see, she's been going out every night lately. And I think… no, I KNOW she's hanging out with a bad group of friends! At this rate, I worry she's gonna turn bad herself." Masanori looked into Takumi's eyes. "That's why I need your help! I need you to get rid of them! They're deceiving her!"

"Eh…!?" Takumi blinked at him. "Wait a moment. What are you asking for me to do?"

"I'm not asking you to kill them or anything, I swear!" the overprotective brother shook his head. "Just… put them in their place. Please, I'm begging you here! She comes out here to this park every night. I followed her last night and saw her here! I'm gonna wait here tonight and I want you to stake it out with me, all right?"

"I guess," Takumi sighed. "I'll have to get a look at these friends of hers myself before deciding whether they're actually a bad influence or not though."

"That's fine," Masanori nodded before pulling the Cyber Sleuth into the bushes with him. "Now hide! She'll be here soon!" Takumi yelped a bit but he quickly made himself comfortable before noticing his client tensing up. "Hey, look…! There she is! Over there…"

Takumi looked over to where he was pointing at and his blue eyes widened in surprise. "Eh…!? That's…!"

Masanori frowned at the strange slug and red hamster crowding around his sister. "The hell are those things!?"

"Fuukaaa!" Lekkie jumped.

"You're back! Yaay!" New-New cheered.

"And you two are back!" Fuuka nodded to them. "Come on. Let's play!"

"It's them…!" Takumi gasped.

"Poor girl…" Masanori frowned. "Look at those monsters! Pretending to be her friend and using her…" He turned towards Takumi. "Come on… You need to go teach them a lesson."

Takumi shook his head. "Sorry, but I don't think I can."

"What? Why not!?" the concerned brother asked. "You see what I'm seeing, right!? If we don't do something, Fuuka's—"

"They don't look like they'll hurt her," Takumi pointed out. "She seems to be enjoying their company too."

"Huh…?" Masanori looked back toward his sister and noticed the Cyber Sleuth was right. "She looks like she's having fun… And stepping in would ruin her night…" He sighed. "Yeah, you're right. I haven't seen her smile like that in a while… Ever since Tokyo got all messed up, she's just been so out of it… But there she is… all smiles, happiest girl in the world. She doesn't even smile that much even when I'm around. Heh," he shook his head. "What a dumbass I am. Those guys, on the other hand…" he smirked at the Digimon, "Well, they're not 'guys', but… I should go thank them. Thanks for dropping by today, detective," Masanori turned towards Takumi. "It… it means a lot to me you'd do that."

"I'm just doing my job," Takumi shrugged. "I'm glad it wasn't anything too serious though."

"I'm still a little worried about her though, so I'm gonna stick around a little longer and watch her, just to be sure," Masanori nodded. "I'll see you."

* * *

Pete noticed Takumi's bright smile as he returned. "Well, you look content. Does that mean you're done working now?"

"Sure does," the redhead nodded.

"Ah well, good job," Pete praised him. "Did you get your reward for it, then?"

Takumi tilted his head to the side and blinked before his face fell. "Ah! I forgot!" He fumbled with his Digivice before calling his client. "Masanori-san!"

"Oh, hey, detective. What's up?" the boy smiled.

"So about the case's fee…" the redhead wryly chuckled.

"You want your reward?" Masanori blinked at him. "But we're not done yet. I'm not paying up until everything is completely settled."

"Eh!?"

"You have to stay and watch those three, too!" Masanori placed his hands on his hips and frowned. "So you'd better be back at the park tonight, too!"

Takumi sighed as the call ended. Pete sympathetically shook his head at the teen. "That's a bummer… but hang in there," the Digimon encouraged him. "There's still time before nightfall. Why don't you sleep a bit? Everything looks better when you're well-rested!"

"Yeah, might as well…" the Cyber Sleuth nodded. "Maybe I'll see what Fuuka and those Digimon are up to…" he mumbled.

* * *

A police officer carefully approached Fuuka and her Digimon friends. "Come here, little girl, nice and calmly… We don't want to spook those guys beside you now."

"Officer," a concerned businessman frowned, "you have to hurry up and get rid of those things before they eat that poor girl!"

"Nuh-uh, they're not gonna eat me!" Fuuka cried. "Lekkie and New-New are my friends!"

"Gah, I guess I don't have a choice," the justice-loving cop frowned. "These monsters have to be stopped! People are getting attacked by these things all over Tokyo… I'm not going to just stand here and watch it happen again right in front of me!"

"No, don't!" Fuuka protectively stood in front of the Digimon. "STAAHP!"

"NO!" Takumi's eyes widened as he suddenly bolted up. He was a bit disoriented by the sudden change in scenery and location, but the teenager stumbled off the sofa.

Pete let out a surprised cry. "You scared me!" He shook his head before worriedly frowning at Takumi. "What's wrong? Did you have a bad dream?"

"It was more than just a dream!" Takumi shook his head. "The three of them are in danger!"

"I don't really understand what you're saying," the Wanyamon shook his head.

"Fuuka and her friends are in trouble," Takumi frowned.

"It's nighttime now," Pete pointed out, looking out the window, "so you better get going and meet up with our client."

"I'm going!" Takumi urgently bolted out of the office.

Pete sighed at the boy's strange outburst. "Takumi… 'Fuuka and her friends are in trouble'. How do you know that when you've been asleep? 'It was more than just a dream. The three of them are in danger…' Hmm? I wonder if you're unconsciously connecting into a network or something while you're asleep. If Kyoko-san were here, I bet she'd know what's up. Me, I just have no idea," he shook his head. "Maybe it's a sign that your body is becoming unstable…" he worriedly frowned. The small Digimon sadly looked towards the empty desk and whimpered. "Oh, Kyoko-san… Come back soon, please…"

* * *

"Please," the officer tried to inch towards Fuuka, "step away from the monsters and come here slowly, sweetie. I'm here to help you!"

"No! I hate you all!" Fuuka frowned at the man.

"This isn't good…" he frowned. His eyes suddenly widened when he saw something behind the girl. "What the!? That's… that's… Sweetie, come here, right now!" he cried out in a panic. "Please!"

"I said no!" the girl shook her head. "You're just gonna bully New-New and Lekkie, I know it! I'm not going anywhere!"

"This… isn't about them now," the officer shakily stated. "There's… something else b-behind you!"

"Huh?" the girl slowly turned around. Her eyes widened as a large yellow Digimon towered over her with a low rumbling growl. Fuuka tried to smile at the new Digimon. "Oh, hi, who are you? Are you friends with Lekkie and New-New?" she asked.

"I… hun..gry…" the Cyclonemon growled. "Need… food…"

"Is your tummy rumbling? Well, I brought some food you can have, if you like," Fuuka said, looking around for her bag. "Wanna eat it?"

The large Dragon Man Digimon roared. "Huuuummmaaaaannnnssss!" Fuuka shrunk back and screamed. "Feeeeeed meeee! Noooooowww!"

The officer let out a panicked cry before running away. Fuuka slowly backed away from the dangerous Digimon but stumbled. "Uh… Um…" she sniffled.

New-New and Lekkie quickly stood between her and the larger Digimon. "Don't cry, Fuuka!" the slug Digimon stated. "We'll protect you!"

"You won't lay a finger on Fuuka, buster!" Lekkie growled. "We'll protect you, Fuuka! It's now or never… We have to evolve!"

"Evolve…!?" Fuuka blinked at the two Digimon.

New-New tried to roar. "Numemon evolve…!"

Lekkie tensed up and let out a fierce cry. "Elecmon evolve…!"

"Ah…!" Takumi's eyes widened as he got closer. "Are they really…?"

"Eh?" Fuuka blinked at her two friends when she noticed they didn't seem any different from before. "Did anything… happen…?"

"I… thought all you had to do to evolve was yell hard enough," New-New frowned.

"Guess not…" Lekkie shook his head.

"Oh no…" Takumi tensed up as he noticed the Cylonemone beginning to shake.

The Digimon let out a roar. "STILL HUNGRY!"

New-New shrieked in fear. "There's no way we could evolve just playing around with Fuuka all the time!"

"That doesn't matter!" Lekkie prepared for battle. "It's the thought that counts! And what I'm thinking is we have to protect Fuuka no matter what!"

"Yeah, you're right! Even if we can't evolve, we can still fight!"

"You guys…" Fuuka smiled at the brave Digimon.

Cyclonemon roared again. "GIVE FOOD NOOOOWWW!"

"Sorry, but we don't have anything for you!" New-New taunted him.

"THEN ME JUST HAVE GIRLLLL!"

"We told you already," Lekkie growled. "She's with us!"

"Wow… You guys are so cool…" Fuuka nodded. "Evolving is amazing!"

Takumi crookedly smirked. "That not how it…" he quickly shook his head before calling out his team. "I better sneak in and help!"

Cyclonemon took in a deep breath before emitting a super-heated beam from his mouth. "Hyper Heat!"

Lekkie and New-New dodged out of the way before returning their own attacks. "Sparkling Thunder!" The Elecmon's tails fanned out before a bolt of lightning shot out of his back.

"Poop Throw!" the slug Digimon cried before assaulting the larger Digimon.

Takumi's Digimon made to rush in, but the boy quickly called them back. "No wait! Just support them from here with long-ranged attacks," he smiled.

His Digimon nodded at his request. "Rapid Fire!"

"Gatling Missile!"

"Lovely Attack!"

Cyclonemon flinched as the powerful attacks came out of nowhere. It tried attacking again, but Lekkie and New-New wouldn't let him it as they continued layering their hits. Eventually, the Adult Digimon stumbled in defeat. Fuuka smiled that her small friends were able to fell such a powerful enemy. "Wow, you guys are so awesome!" she cheered. "You two did great, Lekkie and New-New!"

New-New blushed as he chuckled at their success. "When did we get so strong?"

Lekkie looked around them but didn't spot anyone as Takumi quickly activated his Stealth Hide. The confused Elecmon shook his head. "It's like someone else was there to help us!"

"You guys better come back and play with me again!" Fuuka pouted. "We didn't get to do anything today, you know!"

"Yeah!" New-New nodded.

"Of course we'll come, Fuuka!" Lekkie jumped up and down. "We wouldn't miss it for the world!"

Takumi watched them for a moment and smiled. "Yeah," he nodded to himself. "They'll be fine…" He paused when his Digivice began to ring. The Cyber Sleuth quickly went to the side and deactivated his Stealth Hide before answering.

"Heyo," Pete greeted him. "Is the case all wrapped up for good now?"

"Yup," Takumi brightly smirked as he watched the girl and Digimon laugh together. "There was some trouble with a wild Digimon attack, but I helped take it down without a problem. Have a look for yourself," he pointed his Digivice's camera at them.

"Oh," Pete smiled. "I'm glad she and the Digimon had fun together at least. Wish I could solve cases like a cool ace detective like you…"

"Come on, Pete," the redhead laughed. "You did great supporting me like Kyoko-san always does." He paused for a moment and his expression dampened a little. "Kyoko-san…"

"I wonder what Kyoko-san would say if she were here right now…" Pete wondered.

Takumi closed his eyes and brought his hand up to his chin. "What would she say…?"

He cleared his throat and did his best impression of the detective. _"New-New and Lekkie combined forces… New-New the Numemon and Lekkie the Elecmon… If you take the first syllable from their species you get Nue…"_ Takumi crossed his arms and smirked the way Kyoko usually did whenever she had an interesting thought. _"Nue… the chimera from ancient myths… Yes, one could call what happened here tonight the 'Night of the Living Nue',"_ he chuckled.

Takumi opened his eyes and nodded to Pete. "How was that?"

"Whaat?" Pete smirked at the teen. "Would she really say that? And do you even know what a nue is!?"

"No good?" the Cyber Sleuth crookedly smiled.

"Oh, I get it! You're trying to mess with me!" Pete laughed. "Joke's on you because I'm onto—"

"Okay, okay, I get it," Takumi laughed with him. "Anyways, I'm heading back to the agency now. I'll wrap up the case and we'll be able to call it a night." The redhead quickly cut the line and walked away.

As he left, Masanori yawned from his hiding place. "Oh crap, I fell asleep!" the concerned older brother quickly got up. "Huh!?" He looked around the empty area. "Fuuka!? Detective!? Where did everybody go!?"

* * *

"I'm home," Takumi called out as he returned.

"Welcome home," Pete flashed him a smile. "No case is finished until you wrap everything up and report it. I'm counting on you to do a good job now, all right?"

"Of course," the Cyber Sleuth nodded as he began working on his report summary. He sat next to the small Digimon on the sofa and let his laptop warm up a bit. Takumi let out a loud yawn before looking down at his case folder.

Pete worriedly smiled at the boy as he sensed the overworked teenager was exhausted from the earlier events. "Hey, Takumi. Maybe it's best if you left the report for tomorrow. You did enough today. Why don't you go home and rest up?"

"No, it's fine," Takumi shook his head and rubbed his eyes. "I don't feel like leaving just yet. I'll go once I finish up. Why don't you turn in for the night, Pete? I'll be sure to lock up."

Pete frowned at that but it didn't look like Takumi was going to change his mind at all. Instead of arguing with the working detective, he decided to climb onto the boy's head. "Alright," the Wanyamon yawned. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Eh?" Takumi stopped typing for a moment as the cat Digimon's soft breathing swept through his hair at even intervals. The redhead lightly chuckled as he put his laptop to sleep and set it on the coffee table. He carefully lifted Pete off his head and pet the adorable critter. "Alright, Pete. You win," Takumi yawned as he stretched himself across the length of the sofa. He let Pete sleep on his chest before drifting off himself.

* * *

~A~VILLAINOUS~CINEMATIC~CASE~

 _Client: Sakuyamon_

 _Place: Broadway 3F_

 _Details: A client is being punished for taking movie roles! Please stop this before things gets real bad!_

Takumi blinked as he didn't really know where on the third floor to go. He paused though as he passed the used bookstore. A network brightly called out to him and sensing his client was there, he quickly performed a Connect Jump.

"Ah, great timing!" a Sakuyamon smiled at him as he appeared into the Digital Space.

"You must be my client," Takumi nodded to her. "What's wrong?"

"Some Digimon friends of mine were summoned by this letter," she told him. "Here it is…"

Takumi took the letter and read it for himself. _"To all villainous-looking Digimon: Wanna star as a villain in a squadron hero movie I'm making? Isn't this a great invitation you don't deserve? This is a great chance to make use of your villainousness! See you soon! Yours Truly, All of Us in the Knights of Justice"_

"Isn't that just terrible?" Sakuyamon asked as the boy finished. "I mean, I guess they look a little villainy, but this is just way too rude, right?"

"Yeah," Takumi nodded. "Alright, what do you need me to do?"

"These guys calling themselves the 'Knights of Justice' just contacted my friends and summoned them to a place somewhere inside this dungeon. I'd like you to stop them before they do something stupid. I'll follow afterwards, but could you go ahead and check the situation out?"

"Sure thing," the Cyber Sleuth stated before heading deeper into the network.

* * *

A BlackWarGreymon impatiently crossed his arms and shook his head before turning to his two friends. "Seriously, how long are they going to keep us waiting!?"

The feminine Digimon with a thorny whip at his side scoffed. "They're the ones who called us here and now they make us wait? It's so insulting!"

The third vampire-like Digimon scowled. "I'm going to make them sorry for this. They'll regret it!"

BlackWarGreymon noticed someone approaching them. "Huh?"

Takumi smiled as he came up to them. "You're the ones called by the letter?" he asked.

"Took you long enough!" BlackWarGreymon cried.

"Huh!?" the redhead blinked at him.

"Don't play dumb," the Digimon glared at the boy. "You're the one who called us here!"

Rosemon snapped her whip. "Did you really think you'd get us to help with such a rude letter!? Sorry, we're not impressed."

"Is that how you ask someone for something!?" Vandemon glared at the boy. "You will pay dearly for this!"

"Ah… no! I wasn't—" Takumi let out a panicked cry as all three Digimon menacingly came at him. "Rapidmon!"

"Rapid Fire!" The speedy cyborg immediately fired at them to slow them down as Andromon prepared a follow up attack.

"Gatling Missile!"

"Thorn Whip!" Rosemon cracked her whip at the missiles, detonating them from afar.

BlackWarGreymon roared as he charged up his attack. "Ankoku no Gaia Force!" He threw the colossal orb of dark energy towards the team of Perfect Digimon.

Monzaemon shielded his friends as he took the attack himself, slightly weakening it with his Lovely Charm. Still, the attack did come from an Ultimate Digimon so he staggered a bit before falling to the ground. Vamdemon took advantage of the stuffed bear's opening and with a quick flourish of his cape, he unleashed a dark wave towards the downed Digimon. "Dead Scream!"

"Monzaemon!" Takumi frowned as he quickly recalled the bear. Turning to his two other Digimon, he nodded. "Quickly take out Vamdemon first! He's only a Perfect. Try to evade all of Rosemon's attacks until WereGarurumon (Black) loads!"

"Spiral Sword!" Andromon released a blade of energy at the vampire.

"Dramon Tackle!" BlackWarGreymon rammed his body into Rapidmon before the Cyborg Digimon could react.

Rapidmon frowned at the speedy Dragon Man before the two went at it. Rosemon turned towards the speed battle and snapped her whip around Rapidmon's leg. With a sharp tug, the green cyborg was slammed to the ground, giving BlackWarGreymon a good chance to strike. "Dramon Killer!"

"Spiral Sword!" Andromon's attack managed to divert the Ultimate's attention just enough so that the powerful Digimon missed.

Rapidmon zoomed out of the way of BlackWarGreymon's claws and smirked at the close proximity of the dark Dragon Man. "Rapid Fire!" BlackWarGreymon soon fell to the ground and Rapidmon quickly returned to Andromon's side to help take out Vamdemon.

Rosemon frowned as she wouldn't allow it, but she jumped out of the way as an axe kick came down on her from out of nowhere. WereGarurumon (Black) growled that he missed, but he followed up his previous attack with another one. "Foxfire!" he howled as blue flames came out of his mouth.

Rosemon flinched and brought her hands up to protect herself from the flames, but her whip began to catch fire. WereGarurumon didn't give her a moment to rest as he began punching and kicking at her, wearing her out to the point where he knocked her out with a well-placed punch.

Vamdemon frowned as he soon noticed he was the last one standing. "Night Raid!" he cried as he released a swarm of Familiar Bats at the two Vaccine Digimon he was battling against.

Andromon flinched as he became blinded but Rapidmon quickly activated his sensors. Using the radar system in his ears, the Keen Hound zeroed in on Vamdemon's position and shot a missile from the revolver on his back. "Homing Missile!"

Vamdemon collapsed to the ground and Takumi cheered that his team managed to win. "Great job, guys!" He tensed up though as he soon noticed BlackWarGreymon rising to his feet.

"You haven't beaten me yet!" he roared. "I'm not gonna let you make fun of me like that!"

"That's right," Rosemon struggled too. "I'm still standing! I demand a proper apology!"

"We're gonna make you pay for pissing us off!" Vamdemon picked himself up.

"But I didn't write the letter!" Takumi finally told them.

"What? You didn't send it?" Vamdemon frowned. "What's this about then? Explain!"

"Sakuyamon hired me as a Cyber Sleuth to help her with this case," the boy nodded.

"What? You were sent here by Sakuyamon to stop us?" Vamdemon blinked.

"So then you weren't the one who sent the letter?" Rosemon asked.

"Of course not," Takumi replied.

"I see," BlackWarGreymon nodded. "We misunderstood. Sorry for lashing out at you like that. You must have heard it from Sakuyamon… To make fun of someone you don't even know kinda pisses me off."

"We all may look like villains," Rosemon began, "but even people who look like villains have feelings… It's not very nice to talk to us like that."

"Yeah, I agree," Takumi said as he brought a hand up to his mouth. "But still, you can't just give into your temper like that…"

"Anyway," Vamdemon shook his head, "these 'Knights of Justice' still haven't arrived."

Everyone paused as they heard laughter. "Sorry for the wait!" a voice stated.

"Who's that!?" BlackWarGreymon turned around.

Takumi flinched as a flash of light cut through the air and everything went dark. "Huzzah!" another voice declared. "We cut through evil with light! We slice through evil in a single stroke! In the depths of night, we shine bright, a star in the hearts of all!" When the light returned, a Digimon fell from the sky and landed before them. "Starmon, Knight of Justice!"

"Huzzah!" a third Digimon cried out. "Evil weeps when we appear! Evil runs when we are near! Whenever we hear a cry, we'll cross the earth. We'll cross the sky!" A yellow star-shaped Digimon dropped down. "SuperStarmon, Knight of Justice!"

"Huzzah!" the first voice began speaking again. "The heavens, the earth and evil knows! We are justice incarnate! We'll burn evil from the world with the light of justice! We are fate itself!" Finally a Digimon resembling a masked hero with a flowing red scarf emerged to face them. "Justimon, Knight of Justice!" The three Knights of Justice stood tall as Justimon continued with his speech. "We oppose evil in all its forms. We dedicate ourselves to eradicating it! That which shines within our hearts is a burning love for Justice!" The three raised their fists into the air and colorful smoke erupted from behind them.

Takumi blinked at them before a crooked smile appeared on his face. "Okay…"

Rosemon and BlackWarGreymon blankly stared at them as Vamdemon shook his head. "Are you insane?" the vampire asked.

"So, lemme get this straight…" BlackWarGreymon growled. "You guys called us out here just to tell us about all this justice crap?"

"Yes," Starmon nodded, "sooo sorry for the wait! Prepare yourselves, villains!"

"Why should we prepare!?" Rosemon frowned. "You say all this awful stuff to us and then you have the gall to talk about justice!?"

"Our very existence is justice itself!" SuperStarmon stated. "You guys are the bad guys."

"No, you guys are acting more like self-righteous bullies," Takumi frowned at them before placing his hands on his hips.

"Huh?" Justimon looked the human boy over. "Are you an ally of these villains? Fine, we'll start by dealing with you! Bring it on!"

"Eh!?" Takumi's eyes widened.

"Ridiculous," BlackWarGreymon shook his head. "They're just playing at being heroes…"

Vamdemon nodded to Takumi. "Looks like they've chosen you. You already beat us, so you'll beat them. No problem."

"They called us a villain numerous times! Go get 'em, guys!" Rosemon urged the Cyber Sleuth.

"M-me!?" Takumi's eye widened as the Knights of Justice were ready to face him.

"Hah!" SuperStarmon laughed. "We members of the Justimon Squadron don't know the meaning of the word 'defeat'! We challenge you to a fight!"

"I didn't come here to fight…" Takumi knit his eyebrows together.

"Aww, what's wrong? You're afraid of our leader Justimon?" Starmon taunted the redhead.

Takumi sighed as it didn't look like talking would work here. "Alright, fine! You'll have to hear me out once we win!"

The three Digimon raised their fists into the air. "Justimon Squadron, move out!" they cried before charging towards the boy.

Justimon leapt into the air. "Justice Kick!"

WereGarurumon (Black) quickly intercepted the Ultimate Digimon. "Garuru Kick!"

SuperStarmon raised his arms into the air as he summoned a barrage of meteors above him. "Halley Squall!"

"Meteor Squall!" Starmon added more meteors to the attack.

"Golden Triangle!" Rapidmon destroyed as many of the shooting stars as he could before aiming his arm cannon at SuperStarmon. "Rapid Fire!"

"Spiral Sword!" Andromon quickly took Starmon out.

WereGarurumon (Black) snarled as he continued sparring with Justimon despite his type disadvantage. Surprisingly, the werewolf was able to keep up with the Ultimate's kicks and punches. Justimon frowned as he prepared his mechanical arm for an attack. "Accel Arm!" He slammed his hand to the ground, sending shockwaves across the floor to trip up the nimble Virus Digimon.

WereGarurumon (Black) jumped up though before kicking out blades of energy at his opponent. "Full Moon Kick!"

"Rapidmon! Andromon! Help him out!" Takumi called out to his two Vaccines after they quickly took care of the impromptu meteor shower.

Justimon frowned as he quickly decided to strike the werewolf as he was in midair. "Justice Kick!"

"Xros Combo!" Takumi cried.

"Homing Missile!"

"Gatling Missile!"

"Garuru Kick!" WereGarurumon (Black) spun to the side to avoid Justimon's attack before extending his leg to catch his opponent squarely in the chest. The masked hero ungracefully crashed into the ground in defeat.

"I d-d-don't believe it!" SuperStarmon cried as he ran to Justimon's side.

"We… we lost to the villains!" Starmon exclaimed in disbelief.

"It is the victors who are virtuous!" Takumi triumphantly exclaimed with a wide grin on his face.

"W-wow!" Starmon's eyes widened as he stared at the heroic redhead.

"Although that does sound pretty villainous…" SuperStarmon muttered.

"Hey, we demand an apology!" BlackWarGreymon glared at them. "Did you think we'd be okay with you calling us all villains?"

Vamdemon nodded in agreement. "We're really not happy about what you said. Nor the way you made fun of us," he crossed his arms.

Rosemon frowned. "Don't just judge us by how we look! You seriously pissed us off!"

SuperStarmon bowed his head. "Sorry about that. Looks like we got a bit carried away."

"That's it then," BlackWarGreymon turned away from them. "This stupid game is over."

"It's not a game!" Justimon exclaimed as he got back up. "I swear, we were just trying to make a cool action hero movie!"

BlackWarGreymon paused for a moment before facing Justimon. "Go on…" he said, a bit interested now.

"Well…" Justimon lowered his gaze. "I have always been drawn in by the heroes in old films. I wanted to look cool on the big screen like that, too! So I got together with these guys, all of whom feel the same way, to make a masterpiece screenplay. But… Then we thought 'now we just need to scout out a villain!' and sort of got caught up in it. We didn't really think about your feelings. For that we are deeply sorry," he bowed to the three Digimon.

Takumi looked to the three Digimon as they remained silent. He shook his head and addressed the Digimon aspiring to become a hero. "Justimon, you can't drag others into being villains without explaining to them what's going on. It's what got you into this mess." The Cyber Sleuth frowned. "Your movie doesn't sound so bad, but I guess without a person to play the villain… what are you going to do now?"

"We can't just give up on making our movie!" Justimon shook his head. "We'll try asking other Digimon."

Starmon jumped up as he had an idea. "Hey, I know! How about we get some villain costumes and play the villain parts ourselves?"

"It'd look pretty cheap but…" SuperStarmon frowned, "I suppose if there's nothing else we can do…"

"All right then," Justimon turned away from the Digimon and Cyber Sleuth he inadvertently troubled, "we'll see you all later…"

"Wait…" BlackWarGreymon called out to him. "Can we have a look at that script?"

"Huh?" the scarf-wearing Digimon blinked at him in surprise.

"I'm interested," the Dragon Man nodded, "in being in your movie, I mean."

"Well, you explained yourself and apologized," Vamdemon smiled. "I suppose I'm okay with helping out a bit."

"But you have to make sure the villains look good on the screen," Rosemon added with a nod.

"Huh?" Justimon looked between them. "R-really!? You guys are okay with it?"

"Best get started before we change our minds…" BlackWarGreymon chuckled. "Justimon, if we're gonna do this, let's do it right!"

"Thank you so much!" the Digimon gratefully nodded.

Takumi smiled at the positive turn of events. "That's much better," he chuckled as he placed his hands on his hips. Seeing as he was no longer needed, he decided now was a good time to return to the agency and wrap things up.

As he approached the exit, a voice called out to him. "It seems you've managed to work things out."

"Hmm?" Takumi turned his head and saw Sakuyamon nearby.

"Sorry," she frowned at him. "When I got here, it didn't look like there was anything I could do, so I just watched from over there."

"That's fine," the redhead shook his head. "It wasn't so bad. In the end, I didn't really do much and it managed to resolve itself." He crossed his arms and grinned at Sakuyamon's friends. "They all seemed to be eagerly anticipating their new roles in the action hero film, too," the Cyber Sleuth chuckled as he and his client watched over the group of Digimon for a while longer.

"Awesome!" Starmon happily jumped. "We've just doubled our cast! Things are looking up!"

"Okay, let's have a prep session now!" Justimon suggested. "If anyone has any good ideas, feel free to speak up!"

"Hey, how about if both the good guys and the bad guys each have a song?" SuperStarmon asked. "They'll both be cool. I'll make them and show you!"

"Okay, I'll the main bad guy at the end," Vamdemon crossed his arms. "I'll start trying out different villainous facial expressions."

"We're gonna be super busy from now on!" BlackWarGreymon chuckled. "We've gotta make sure to go over the script carefully…"

Rosemon nodded in agreement. "We need to practice action movie stunts and if we want to get lots of fans, we have to make sure the villains' performances are perfect!"

Sakuyamon smiled at the end results. "BlackWarGreymon and his lot changed their minds and are cooperating with the Justimon guys to make a movie now, it seems. It's all been settled amicably, thanks to you." Sakuyamon chuckled at her friends. "It looks like everyone is having fun. With everyone pooling their talents, I'm sure this will be a good movie," she nodded. "Thank you for making our dream of making a movie come true."

"No problem," Takumi nodded as he grinned at her. "I'm just doing my job as a Cyber Sleuth." He watched as the Digimon excitedly chattered about their project before Sakuyamon also approached them to join in too. "It's nice to see everyone coming together like this," he wistfully stated to himself with a gentle smile on his face. "Connecting to others… Making new friends… Sharing aspirations together… It's moments like these that make all the trouble I tend to encounter worth it. This is why I have to endure." He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. _Isn't that right, Kyoko-san?_

In his mind, he could imagine the detective nodding to him with a pleased smile on her face. _"Thanks for your hard work, as always. Now we can only hope that 'seedling' you saved blossoms into a big movie star down the line."_

He opened his eyes and brought his gloved fist to his heart. "Yeah…" he weakly chuckled. "I'll do my best to grow too in your absence."

* * *

~SHINJUKU~FOOD~TOUR~

Takumi turned towards Broadway's exit but paused when he noticed Nokia crookedly smiling at Agumon and Gabumon. "I'm hungry! I'm hungry!" the pelt-wearing Digimon complained to her.

"Nokia, take us, take us!" Agumon jumped.

"Yes, yes! Fine!" Nokia tried to smile. "If I take you will you calm down?"

"Nokia," Takumi quickly approached her as it had been a while since he had seen her in Broadway. "Do you need help with something?"

"Ah! Takumi!" the girl brightened as she lifted her gaze towards him. Her Digimon turned to wave at the kind boy and Nokia's eyes lit up as an idea came to her. "All right, then! You might as well hang out with Takumi," she told her Digimon with a nod.

"Huh?" the boy tilted his head to the side in confusion.

"I'll file the case at the office later, thanks!" Nokia flashed him a smirk.

"Um…" Takumi blinked at the trio as he brought a hand up to his chin. "Did I miss something? Why are you both back at Child level?" he asked the two Digimon. "Did something happen?"

"Huh?" Agumon looked up at him. "You're asking if we combined together, would we become Omegamon?"

"Yeah, we would!" Gabumon nodded. "But we would stick out if we were walking around as Omegamon," he shyly muttered.

"Yeah!" the orange dinosaur agreed. "So we decided we should keep this form whenever walking around the human world with Nokia as much as possible! Also, when we combine together we expend more of our power."

"Yeah!" Gabumon jumped. "We have to conserve our power… That way, when we need it, we can use it to protect Nokia!"

"Aww…" Nokia blushed. "You guys…"

"We can combine and turn into Omegamon whenever we want to…" Agumon stated.

"So don't be afraid!" Gabumon told both humans. "Nokia, Takumi!"

"Aww, shucks…" Nokia grinned at the Digimon. "I may not have much money, but at least I have some great Digimon friends…"

"Good because we'll all need to be at our very best," Takumi nodded.

"Speaking of which," Nokia smirked at the Cyber Sleuth, "Takumi, please go and check the case info back at the office and get to work!"

"Hey, I'll check out your case later, Nokia," the boy chuckled. "I'm working another case right now, but I'll let you know when I'm free, okay? I'll see you later!" he nodded before taking off.

"When you're free?" Nokia crossed her arms and frowned as she watched her best friend stumble out of Broadway. Although it was difficult to tell, the girl swore he had been a bit pale. "Takumi…" She shook her head and quickly started for the agency. "That's it! I'm definitely submitting the case! He needs a break!"

* * *

 _Client: Shiramine Nokia_

 _Place: Broadway_

 _Details: Agumon and Gabumon just want to eat and eat! Take them to Shinjuku and feed them! We'll settle up later!_

Takumi stared at the note and frowned at the concerning last sentence his best friend included in the case submission form. "Umm… Nokia… I'm here…"

"Yaaaay! Takumi!" Nokia cheered as he finally had the time to take on her request. "Thanks for taking the case! These kids really want to eat something delicious from the real world…" she smiled down at her two loyal Digimon.

"We want to learn more about humans through food!" Gabumon excitedly stated.

"I'm hungry! I'm hungry!" Agumon complained.

"Well, food is the best way to learn a culture," Takumi smiled at the two.

"So, what do you say, Takumi?" Nokia asked him knowing he could never refuse a chance to eat with his friends. "Wanna hang out?"

"Of course!" Takumi nodded. "If there's food involved, I can't say no!"

"I'm hungry! I'm hungry!" Agumon repeated himself. "Where are you taking us!?"

"Uhm… well…" Nokia frowned. "Hey, Takumi, where would be best do you think?"

"Well, what about sushi? Wait, no… I've had that here before… Maybe some Italian food? Nah… the teahouse is a bit crowded," Takumi muttered looking at the restaurant behind him. "Ah… I could go for some French food," he shrugged.

"Huh? What!?" Nokia's eyes widened. "Are you crazy!? We can't go somewhere so expensive…"

"Ah… So you really are tight on cash…?" Takumi blinked at her.

She shook her head and ignored him. "We should go somewhere unpretentious and local, where the prices aren't too bad, don't you think? Also, you have to consider the cost of a French restaurant…" she wryly chuckled.

"I suppose," Takumi shrugged. "So you want to go somewhere that's not too fancy."

"Yeah, that's right," Nokia took a moment to consider where a restaurant like that could be. "Oh! I think I remember looking for a family restaurant in Shinjuku before… It's casual. It's cheap… Did I mention it's cheap?"

"But is it any good?" Takumi wondered, more worried about the taste of the food than the cost. He frowned to himself as he hadn't really eaten anything enjoyable in a while. Actually, he hasn't been eating at all due to his worry over Kyoko's disappearance and his body's lack of need for food. His frown deepened as he quickly cleared away those dark thoughts. "Anyway…"

Gabumon looked up at the boy with a worried frown. "Takumi, you're doing that 'Why are you asking me?' face…"

"Eh?" Takumi's blue eyes snapped towards the Digimon. "O-oh… Sorry… So have you decided where to go?"

"Whichever! It doesn't matter!" Agumon pulled on the detective's arm. "Let's just eat! I'm starving!"

"Okay!" Nokia finally decided. "Let's go to the family restaurant in Shinuku!"

Takumi brightly laughed. "Sure," he nodded. "Let's go!"

* * *

"Huh?" Nokia paused to sniff the air. "That sweet smell… Where's it coming from?"

Gabumon stopped too to check the scent. After a while he began jumping around. "Oh! It smells so gooood!"

"It sure does!" Takumi agreed as he stared at the entrance to the family restaurant they had been looking for. "It looks like this is the place!" He opened the door and went inside with Gabumon.

Nokia looked around and her eyes widened. "Huh?" She spotted Yuuko staring at a nearby poster. "Yuuko-chi?" The girl didn't seem to hear or notice her before walking away with a small frown on her face.

"Oh! What are you doing, Nokia!?" Agumon cried, eager to go in already.

"Huh?" the girl blinked at her Digimon. "Oh, nothing really…"

"Nokia!" Gabumon called her over from the table he and Takumi were seated at. "This place has such a huge menu! What would you like?"

"Hmmm… Lemme see…" she crossed her arms. "How about the hamburger?"

"Ham…burger?" Agumon stared at her in confusion.

"Everyone in the human world eats it," Nokia nodded. "It's cheap, delicious, popular, and basic!"

Gabumon spotted a strange dish on the menu. "This also looks delicious, but what's 'steak'?"

"That's…" Nokia nervously tensed up. "Everyone likes it, but it's not a common food. It's expensive and high-class."

"Really?" the shy Digimon's eyes widened. "Okay then, I'll have that!" he decided.

"Oh, very nice choice!" Takumi brightly smiled as all color drained from Nokia's face.

"I think I'll try the chateaubriand steak!" Agumon nodded.

"That's also very delicious," Takumi's mouth watered.

"What!?" Nokia frowned as she took a look at menu for herself. "Wh-why are there such expensive dishes in a place like this!?" She turned towards the boy sitting across from her. "Takumi, what'll you have?"

The boy paused for a moment and brought his hand up to his chin thoughtfully. His eyes scanned the menu as he seriously considered his choices. "Rice with hashed meat and shrimp pilaf… Well, this looks like a good, basic family restaurant menu… It all looks so good that it's hard to choose. Oh, what's this?" his blue eyes shone as he spotted something. "Rice omelet… It's simple, so it's a good test for the chef's skill…" He closed his eyes and nodded to himself. "Okay, let's give it a try!"

"Sorry for the wait," the waiter told him before setting the man before him. "Here's your rice omelet!"

"Wow, so this is it…" Takumi smiled. He gently cut through the egg layered on top of the rice with his fork. "Okay, so the egg is well done, not soft in the middle like a lot of places these days…" he nodded in approval before pensively taking a bite of it. "It's done just like you'd expect from a family restaurant. The firmness of the egg is perfect for a traditional rice omelet!" He began poking at the chicken rice hidden by the omelet. "Well, let's see what this is like…" He closed his eyes and scooped a forkful of the rice into his mouth. "Oh! This is delicious! I think the taste of the ketchup base in the chicken rice might be too strong…" he noted before combining both the egg and the rice, "but the flavor of the egg compliments the flavor of the chicken rice beautifully."

"That was delicious!" Gabumon sighed in satisfaction when he finished his steak.

"I'm completely stuffed! And I'm nearly broke, too…" Nokia crookedly smiled at the check.

"Broke?" Agumon tilted his head to the side.

"Yeah, never mind…" the girl quickly shook her head. "So, have you learned about how we eat in the human world?"

"Yeah, but not nearly enough!" Gabumon answered her.

"I want to eat more!" Agumon exclaimed as he began jumping. "I need moooooorreee!"

"Come on, Nokia, please!" Gabumon begged. "Do it for Digimon-Human relations!"

"Uh… I… uhhhhh!" Nokia frowned. She quickly scanned the area and spotted another restaurant across the street. "Well, what about that pork cutlet place? You get a decent portion size and it's reasonably cheap?"

"Oh?" Takumi's eyes widened at that. "That sounds delicious!"

Agumon nodded as they started towards the restaurant. "I could still go for another full meal. I need more food!"

"More food!" Gabumon agreed. "Let's get more food!"

"Yeah!" Takumi grinned. "It's been a while since I've eaten this well!"

"Right! Let's see who can eat the most!" Agumon suggested.

"Is that a challenge, I hear?" the redhead boastfully laughed. "You're on!"

"But… you guys…" Nokia frowned at the three of them. "Couldn't you try to hold back a little? Please…?"

The three didn't seem to hear her as they stared at the menu. Gabumon's mouth watered as he stared at the wonderful pictures. "I'm gonna have a pork fillet and a pork loin cutlet and fried prawns and…"

"What do you want, Nokia?" Agumon asked her.

"I… Umm, I…" the girl crookedly smiled at the menu. She looked over to the Cyber Sleuth and noticed he had his eyes closed. "Takumi, what would you suggest?"

The boy nodded as he pondered over the selection. "You can't go wrong in a pork cutlet place," he told her. "The best choice would be the pork loin cutlet. A light, tender pork fillet would be good, too…" He crossed his arms and thought it over carefully. "Whenever I got to eat at a pork cutlet place I want a nice loin cutlet with oil drizzled on top to bite into…"

"Here you are," the waitress nodded to him, "your loin cutlet…"

Takumi opened his eyes and smiled. "Wow… This is…" He turned the breaded cutlet over with his fork. "It's quite well done," he nodded in approval. "It's cooked to a light brown, but it still stimulates the appetite…" He reached over for the dipping sauce. "Okay, I'm going to put a bit more sauce on this pork cutlet… I know lots of people say the right way to eat it is to put the sauce in a separate dish, in order to keep it crunchy, but…" Takumi carefully applied the sauce directly onto his cutlet, "I prefer it this way because the sauce seeps into the batter and I like how that changes the taste…" He closed his eyes and took a bite. "Oh! This is delicious! Loin cutlet is definitely the best…" he nodded with a satisfied smile on his face. "The flavor pouring out of the fatty portion of the cutlet is absolutely amazing…"

"Takumi!" Nokia glared at the boy as he continued to mutter to himself about his food. "Are you even listening to me!?"

"Huh…?" Takumi's blue eyes suddenly snapped open. He blinked at the girl sitting across from him.

"You were off in your own world again!" she shouted.

"Uh…" the redhead looked down at his delicious dish with a crooked smile on his face. "Right… Sorry. You were saying something, Nokia?" he asked as he wiped his mouth with a napkin.

She leaned in closer and whispered to him. "Can you give me a hand? It's a bit of an emergency…"

The Cyber Sleuth finally noticed how agitated she seemed. "Um… Sure…?"

"Takumi, how much money do you have?" she asked. "I… I don't seem to have enough…"

"It can't be that bad," the boy stated before he noticed the amount of plates piled up on their table. "Eh!?" His eyes widened as Agumon and Gabumon seemed to have been ordering more without him realizing it. He turned back towards Nokia and shook his head. "I don't think I can cover it either!" he urgently whispered to her.

"In that case…" Nokia looked towards the exit, "should we just dine-and-dash?"

"We can't do that!" the lawful teen seriously frowned.

"I'm gonna have to pay it off by working for them!" Nokia angrily pointed out.

"That's not so bad!" Takumi argued. "That's exactly what I'm doing for Kyo—" he paused as he noticed Agumon and Gabumon staring at them. "Ah!"

"Work it off?" Agumon blinked.

Nokia tensed up before slowly turning to face the Digimon. Gabumon guiltily stared at the new plate set before him. "You don't have any money, Nokia?"

The girl crossed her arms as she quickly tried to say something to put the shy Digimon at ease. "Well, I… uh… um, it's not… it's just that… ummm…"

"Do you have it or not?" Agumon asked. "Which is it?" Nokia closed her eyes as she mentally shut down. Her hesitation though led to Agumon looking down at his food. "Awww… Hungryyyy!" he suddenly cried out. He began jumping in his seat. "Yeahhhhh!"

"Huh!?" Nokia stared at him in surprise. "What… what's going on!?"

"Awww… Come on!" Agumon complained. "I'm still hungry! I'm not full yet!"

"Me too!" Gabumon joined in as he started bouncing up and down. "I wanna eat! I need to eat moooorrreee!"

"Agumon… Gabumon…" Takumi looked around as people in the restaurant were beginning to stare. "H-hey, settle down!"

"Uh-oh…" Nokia frowned. "This isn't good… Are they going crazy or something? Agumon and Gabumon are starting to act like those other Digimon that went crazy and rampaged!"

Takumi looked around for something to calm the Digimon down with before picking up his cutlet and throwing it at them. His blue eyes widened when he realized what he just did. "Ah! My pork loin cutlet!" he cried. His face fell even further when he noticed the two Digimon were still hungry after his offering. "Really!?" He shook his head as he began searching for another method to calm the gluttonous monsters. In the end he let out a frustrated groan. "Grah! It's no good! I want another cutlet!"

"Takumi!" Nokia desperately whined. "You're a Cyber Sleuth, aren't you? Hurry up and come up with—" She paused when she spotted a raven-haired girl standing near the entrance. "Huh? Ah! Yuuko-chi!? What are you doing here?"

Yuuko sympathetically stared at the hungry Digimon before she quickly hurried over to help. "Leave this to me!" she urgently nodded.

"H-huh?" Takumi blinked at the girl. "Y-yuuko-san?" He tilted his head to the side. "What do you mean?"

"I'll pay," Yuuko nodded, "Don't worry about it… Please," she told them, "eat all you want… I'll join you."

"You… you'll join us?" Nokia knit her eyebrows together in confusion.

"It's an awful thing to miss a meal…" Yuuko sadly frowned. "I'd like to make sure they aren't going hungry."

"Um… okay," Nokia nodded. "I don't really see why but I guess it's fine with me… Thanks, Yuuko-chi!"

"W-wait, Nokia!" Takumi quickly shook his head at his best friend. "We can't just…!" He tensed up as Yuuko had already taken a seat in the empty chair beside him. "Y-yuuko-san…!?"

"Eh? Is something wrong, Takumi-san?" she asked him.

"O-of course!" he frowned as he sat back down. "I couldn't possibly—" he paused as he noticed his plate was empty. "Ah…" the teenage boy blankly stared at it for a while. "My pork loin cutlet…"

Yuuko worriedly stared at him. "Please order as much as you'd like, Takumi-san," she simply told him. She kindly smiled at him when she noticed he knit his eyebrows together in concern. "If you want more, please don't hold back on my account," she nodded. "The proper way to enjoy a good meal is as much as you want with good company after all."

"Ah… that's right… You said something similar to me before," Takumi nodded to himself as he crossed his arms. "I-in that case," he crookedly grinned, "I'm going to have the katsudon meal with extra pork cutlet, pork fillet, and egg! All right!" Takumi happily cheered as the waiters brought out their orders.

"Phwah… I'm stuffed!" Nokia smirked as she finally finished her meal. "Thanks! I really owe you one, Yuuko-chi!"

"That's fine," Yuuko smiled, "Don't mention it. There's nothing worse in the world than being hungry," she seriously frowned.

"That's right!" Takumi seriously nodded in agreement.

"Still, you can really pack it away, Yuuko-chi!" Nokia crossed her arms. "You ate as much as Takumi! Maybe even more…"

"That… that's not true…" the raven-haired girl's face went red as she looked over to the thin boy wearing an extremely satisfied grin on his face.

"Huh?" Nokia blinked at her. "But you kept ordering more cabbage and miso soup… Takumi didn't even go that far…"

"Nokia-san, stop it," Yuuko frowned. "You're embarrassing me," she mumbled.

"Ah, um… Sorry," Nokia apologized. "All right then," she nodded to her Digimon. "Let's go home!"

"Awwwww!" Gabumon whined. "Really!?"

"I wanna eat! I wanna eat!" Agumon cried. "I need more foooood!"

"I could probably go for more too," Takumi blinked as he looked around for another restaurant they could visit.

Nokia glared at the three of them. "You guys have had enough for one day…"

"Awww…" they collectively whined.

Yuuko stared at them sympathetically before speaking up. "Would you like some dessert?" she asked.

"Dessert!?" Takumi immediately perked up.

"Huh?" Nokia looked at her in surprise. "No… Yuuko-chi!?"

"There's a dessert place I like to go to around here…" Yuuko gently smiled. "Would you all like to come along?"

"Yes, please!" Takumi eagerly nodded.

Nokia followed her friends to the store and grinned at the display. "I know you just finished a big meal," she crossed her arms, "but you'll want more once you're standing in front of a dessert place…" she stated as she gave into her sweet tooth.

"I always have room for dessert!" Yuuko agreed with a nod.

"Room?" Gabumon blinked. "For dessert?"

"That's right!" Takumi exclaimed as he brought his hand up to his drooling mouth. "Dessert!"

Nokia nodded as she explained it to her Digimon. "Let's see. 'Room for dessert' means that God gave us humans a separate room in our stomachs to use when it really counts… for dessert!"

"A separate room?" Agumon wondered aloud.

"Never mind about all that," Nokia shook her head. "What do you guys want to eat?"

"Those jelly-filled wafers look good!" Gabumon pointed at them.

"I want one of those sweet dessert salads…" Agumon drooled.

Yuuko happily smiled at the staff. "Could I have the shiratama dumplings, mitsumame, shiruko soup, zenzai soup, and tokoroten?"

"Huh!?" Nokia turned to her in surprise. "Y-yuuko-chi! Are you crazy!?"

"No need to worry," Yuuko cheerfully stated, "I have enough to pay the bill…"

"Ah, no… that's not what I mean…" the turquoise-eyed girl crookedly smiled.

Yuuko blinked at her a few times before turning to the boy standing at her side. "By the way, what would you like to eat, Takumi?"

"There's so much to choose from!" he exclaimed with a wide grin on his face. Takumi's blue eyes widened though as he spotted a fish-shaped cake filled with sweet red bean paste. "Ah! Taiyaki!" he cried out as he began bouncing up and down like a little kid. "Yuuko-san, I want taiyaki!"

"Hey, Takumi," Nokia frowned at him. "Calm down. You're… a bit too hyper, don't you think?"

The Cyber Sleuth paused before sheepishly looking away from both girls. "S-sorry," the boy chuckled. "I'm just really excited right now. It's... been a while since I've enjoyed a proper meal..."

"Eh!?" Yuuko stared at him in surprise. "You mean you haven't been eating _anything_?"

"What!?" Nokia knit her eyebrows together. "Takumi! I knew something was up, but come on! What's wrong with you!?"

"N-nothing's wrong!" the boy quickly shook his head. "I-I was just too busy with work… And my body doesn't really need food… Besides," he seriously stated as he looked up towards both his friends, "I have to keep the agency running in Kyoko-san's absence," he momentarily paused but quickly shook his head to snap out of it, "so I can't just waste time doing things I don't have to!"

Both girls shared a frown with each other since they sensed his hesitation. After a quick nod, they both turned towards the person taking their order. "Please include extra green tea ice cream with the taiyaki!" Yuuko urgently stated.

"Yeah, and don't forget to add bits of mochi to it!" Nokia nodded.

"E-eh!?" Takumi tensed up at how serious his friends were. "You two..." The Cyber Sleuth smiled at the girls and sheepishly laughed. "Thanks..." He took a bite out of his dessert and savored the taste. "Ah! So sweet…!"

"That was delicious!" Nokia exclaimed as she finished.

"Wow…" Agumon patted his stomach. "I'm stuffed!"

"I'm full now," Gabumon nodded.

"How was that?" their tamer asked them. "Did you learn about human eating customs?" Nokia crossed her arms.

"Yeah!" Gabumon jumped. "Thanks, everyone!"

Takumi widely grinned before gratefully bowing to the person who treated them to such an amazing meal. "Thank you very much, Yuuko-san!"

"It was nothing," Yuuko smiled back at him and nodded.

"Oof," Nokia crossed her arms and crookedly smiled. "I really am stuffed though..."

"In that case, let's all head back to the agency for some coffee!" Takumi suggested while raising his arm into the air. "Don't worry!" he reassured Nokia as she tensed up. "It's just regular coffee! I promise!"

* * *

Nokia grinned as she set her empty cup on the coffee table. "Still, you can seriously pack it away, Yuuko-chi!"

"Tha-that's not true…" the raven-haired girl looked away from the Rebellions leader and frowned. She looked up towards Takumi as he was mixing in mayonnaise into his cup. "But, thanks to you guy I've been able to learn about gourmet food."

"Hm?" Takumi stopped stirring his cup and blinked at her. "What do you mean?" he asked before choking down his drink.

"I don't like eating out alone when people might be watching me…" Yuuko admitted.

"I see…" Nokia nodded in understanding. "Girls are always obsessing over that kind of thing… I don't, but…"

"Actually, I want to get to know more restaurants…" Yuuko smiled. "As a matter of fact, I sent a case to your office…"

"Huh? You sent a case?" Nokia blinked.

"I rank gourmet restaurants as a hobby," the raven-haired girl cheerfully told them, "so I asked for a secret food critique…"

"Oh, that was you!" Nokia exclaimed. "Huh? Wait a sec…" she blinked at Yuuko a few times before letting out a surprised cry.

"Eh?" Yuuko blinked at her. "Is that… strange?"

"I don't think so," Takumi shook his head before he paused for a moment. "Well," he lightly chuckled, "I suppose it is a little considering you wanted to try those restaurants, but didn't yourself…"

"Oh, but your report was very well-written," she told him. "I learned a great deal from them."

"Next time, feel free to invite us, Yuuko-san," Takumi smiled at her. "I'd be more than happy to join you! In fact, let's go somewhere else right now! We can go to the Chinese restaurant or teahouse."

Nokia's eyes widened. "Wait, how can you still be hungry?" She knit her eyebrows together as she stared at her best friend. "Don't tell me it's because of your weird body!"

"Nope! My actual body is like this too!" Takumi cheerfully laughed. "So how about it? Is anyone up for another food tour?"

Yuuko brought her hand up to her mouth as she thought it over. "It's true that I haven't tried the restaurants here yet. Alright," she nodded, "let's go! Just leave the bill to me!"

"Yuuko-chi...!?" Nokia frowned at her two food-obsessed friends but decided to go along anyways.

* * *

 **Final Notes:** Another food tour! Not really going to comment much on it because I'm hungry just thinking about it and it makes me want some tonkatsu too... Although instead of pork, I do enjoy katsu chicken a bit more, especially with curry. But anyway, Takumi's venture into the detective business on his own seems to be going well... He might be struggling a bit, but it's not as though he has experience running the entire agency on his own... Kyoko would be the one to usually handle that stuff after all... Given some more time, I'm sure he'll eventually get into it, but under these circumstances, I guess not. I really like the Ueno case. Mainly because it's a heartwarming job to complete, but it's also rather unsettling to learn that Takumi is beginning to slip in and out of networks without him wanting to... The DLC case really has no bearing on the current events, but because it was available, I decided to put it here anyway. In fact, taking it on with Kyoko absent, you can't really get those extra thoughts she normally has when you turn in a case. You just log it into the whiteboard without so much as a comment from anybody, so I just included here since, of course, Takumi would be thinking of his boss.


	22. What is a Youth?

**Author's Notes:** A later update today since I'm kind of tired from hanging out with my family yesterday. It's always a hectic adventure around my relatives, but anyway... Time for the plot to get serious again. I don't really understand the chapter's title, but it seems to work... I mean, the focus this time will be on Takumi and his relationships with those important to him. Or at least, when I play through this part, I get Persona vibes from the it. And the youths of Persona are always trying to figure out their answers to that question... I wonder what Takumi's answer is...

* * *

Takumi clutched his head with both hands as the dark loneliness crushed him. He spotted a familiar woman in the distance with long blonde hair and a trailing scarf and tried to call out to her only to hear silence. Realizing his screams wouldn't reach her no matter how loud he yelled, he began to chase after her. He reached his gloved hand out towards the person he trusted most in the world but she suddenly faded away into a ball of light. He let out a silent cry of desperation as he didn't want to return to the darkness alone. Still, no matter how much he tried to fight against it, everything around him drowned in inky black shadows.

 _"I've been so lonely!"_ a child's voice meekly complained.

Takumi tensed up as the voice sounded familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had heard it before. He looked around for its source and managed to spot a small boy in the distance with messy hair. The redhead knit his eyebrows together at the monochrome figure as he tried to reach out to the crying boy in order to help him.

 _"I don't want to be by myself anymore…!"_ the boy wailed.

The Cyber Sleuth's eyes widened though when he realized he couldn't get anywhere near the child. Even more, a strange pain began to fill his chest. It was both a physical and emotional pain, but Takumi couldn't identify whether it came from within him or the child. The boy's weeping grew louder and it only intensified the searing sensation he felt.

 _"Somebody find me!"_ he screamed. _"Somebody help me!"_

Takumi could feel tears dripping down his face as he forced himself to save the child. The child's loneliness negatively affected the older teen as he suddenly noticed purplish black hands grabbing at him from the darkness. They restrained him and the more the he struggled, the tighter their hold on him grew. The Cyber Sleuth began to hyperventilate as his chest threatened to burst from the pain. His blue eyes widened as he spotted the woman again. He tried screaming to her once more for help as a swirling arm of black smoke began to wrap around his neck.

 _"Help, help, help, help!"_ The small child's voice blended with Takumi's thoughts as he struggled to keep his head above the arm until he was completely engulfed by the smoke.

 _No! Please don't leave me behind too! Come back!_ Takumi screamed as he found his own voice. "KYOKO-SAN!" He gasped as he suddenly found himself in the detective agency. The red-haired teen brought his hand up to his forehead and took in deep breaths to calm himself down. As he sat up on the sofa, he tried to recall what he just experienced. "W-what was that…? It all felt so… familiar… But why?"

"Takumi?"

The boy snapped his head up at the desk before he relaxed. "P-pete…" he sighed in relief. "It's just you…"

The Wanyamon worriedly frowned at him. "Are you okay? You startled me again…"

"I'm sorry," the Cyber Sleuth gently apologized as he carefully approached the Digimon. "I didn't mean to…" He scratched Pete's head. "It was just another nightmare… That's all," he reassured the Digimon.

"Are you sure? What was it about this time?"

Takumi wryly smiled at him and opened his mouth to speak, but his Digivice suddenly rang. "Hello…?" he answered, hopeful that it was Kyoko.

"Hmm… Oh, hello? Takumi?"

"Nokia?" The blue-eyed boy tried to hide his disappointment.

"Yeah, it's me," she frowned at him as she noticed his pale, tired face. "I've got something I want to talk about," she worriedly told him. "Could you come to Shibuya? Please? I know it's a bit of a hike."

"I guess…" Takumi frowned. He made to unlock the agency's door for the day but felt a bit woozy as he passed the couch. "Ah… Dizzy…" he groaned as he quickly caught himself.

"What? You're not feeling well?" Nokia noticed how out of it Takumi seemed. "I… was hoping that wasn't the case."

"Huh? No, I'm fine," he shook his head. "Just give me a moment. I'll be there," he nodded before hanging up. Takumi stared at his gloved right hand for a while before slowly moving again.

"Are you going out already?" Pete asked.

"Yeah," the Cyber Sleuth nodded to him as he finally opened the office up for business. "I'm off," the teenager tried to smile.

"Have a safe trip," the Digimon told him as he left. Pete frowned to himself once Takumi was gone. "It's been over a month now and it looks like his health is getting worse… Kyoko-san… please come back soon… For Takumi's sake…"

* * *

"Alright, I'm here," Takumi nodded as he approached Nokia, Omegamon, and the crowd of Digmion gathered around them.

"Thanks for coming," she gratefully smiled at him.

"So what do you need?" he asked. "Is something on your mind?"

"Yeah," she worriedly frowned and lowered her gaze. "It's about, well, you not feeling well. It sorta seems like things are at a standstill. After the you-know-what plan was put into motion, problems between Digimon and humans kept cropping up more and more. And the damage is getting worse and worse. If it keeps up, it'll get way out of hand. Something has to be done, but…" she sighed and shook her head. "And I'm sorry, but Rebellions have their hands full just trying to protect this bunch. I wanted to send them home to the Digital World before things get any worse."

"Eaters are still ravishing the Digital World," Omegamon sighed. "We no longer have a home."

"I thought if I could protect the Digimon and return them to their world that it all would work out," Nokia clasped her hands together and held them over her heart. "But I can't return them to the Digital World as it is now and they'll get hurt if they stay here. I have no idea what to do anymore…"

"Neither do I…" Takumi muttered as his mind wandered towards his missing boss.

"But," Nokia slightly perked up, "Omegamon said to find the other Royal Knights!"

"Hm?" the depressed boy lifted his gaze at that. "The others?"

"The Royal Knights probably came to this world when the Dimensional Door was opened," Omegamon said. "They're probably all in hiding, each with their own intentions and motivations, somewhere in Tokyo or EDEN. We have to find them and convince them. It will be hard to do so for those bent on destruction, but there are Royal Knights who seek a different path, ones who yet have doubts. They will undoubtedly respond to Nokia's strength of will! And many Digimon follow the Royal Knights. The more we have on our side, the more Digimon we can have interacting with humans! That should help to stem the chaos."

"So that's that, Takumi!" Nokia smiled. "Let's search for the Royal Knights!"

The Cyber Sleuth took a moment to let it all sink in. "I see… Yeah, that sounds like a good plan," he seriously nodded.

"Which means you're up, Cyber Sleuth!" Nokia grinned at him.

"I thought you'd ask me… It's elementary!" he smirked with his usual enthusiasm towards work.

"I thought you'd say that!" his best friend chuckled, glad to see him cheering up. "Okay! Looks like we're feeling all better! To start with, I'd like you to check out that Digital Wave thingy to track down the Royal Knights."

Takumi's face fell. "Nokia…"

The girl winced when she realized she said something she shouldn't have to the blue-eyed boy. "You're right. Kyoko-san's still not back yet. It might be hard for you to do that alone." She shook her head and groaned. "And things were going so well."

"It can't be helped," Omegamon shook his head. "I will try to find signs of the other Royal Knights."

"Signs!?" Nokia turned towards her Digimon in surprise. "They'll tell us where they're located?"

"A Royal Knight possesses massive energy," he explained. "Unless one attempts to mask that signature, I will be able to find it."

"Hm?" Takumi blinked. "Wait, if that's the case, I should be able to sense them a bit too," he nodded as he stared down at his body.

"Excellent!" Nokia grinned. "Well, why didn't we do that to begin with?" she asked in complaint before quickly shaking her head. "I didn't say that. And I didn't think it!"

"I'm sorry, Nokia," Omegamon lowered his head.

"So long as we're doing it now," Takumi nodded.

"Oh, I'm reading some signs already," Omegamon looked up at the sky. "The nearest one is… in that direction," he pointed east.

"In that direction?" Nokia blinked. "Towards Akiba?"

"It seems so," her Digimon nodded. "It seems to be Dukemon. Let's head there now." Omegamon looked down at the Cyber Sleuth. "You should join us, Takumi. If he can't be convinced, we may have to fight. I would feel much better having you there."

"Alright," the boy nodded. "Let's go."

* * *

A bipedal Digimon with wings and lion-like mask elegantly swung his rapier before setting the blade down as he spotted Omegamon coming towards him while being led by two humans. The Digimon chuckled and shook his head at the great Royal Knight. "You look ridiculous, Omegamon."

"Huh?" Nokia blinked at the Digimon. "Wh-who's that?"

"I was certain I had sensed Dukemon…" Omegamon looked around in confusion. "I never expected that you'd be the first one I would run into, Duftmon."

"And not just a Digimon," Duftmon sneered at the girl at Omegamon's side, "but a human child as well. 'Omega'… the ultimate end… You bring shame upon your very title! Omegamon… Have you abandoned your pride as a Royal Knight?"

"He's a member of the Royal Knights, too?" Nokia asked. "You've got to explain things to him," she eagerly told her partner.

"An explanation, you say?" the Digimon let out an amused, rumbling chuckle. "How naïve! How utterly naïve! Omegamon, does your aiding these humans mean you intend to thwart our plan to destroy the human world?"

"Duftmon, you are only distorting Yggdrasil's will according to your own desires," Omegamon stated. "Is destroying this world really the only way!?"

"Then we are indeed of different opinions on the matter," Duftmon sighed. "I will carry out Yggdrasil's will as I see fit. All I do is for the sake of saving our world!"

"I came here to correct the distorted will of Yggdrasil," his former comrade shook his head. "And I will stop you as I see fit!"

Duftmon brought a hand up to his forehead and laughed. "You think you're even capable of that? Even though all is going according to plan?"

"According to plan?" Nokia knit her eyebrows together. "Then everything that's happened up to now has been part of your scheme!?"

"LordKnightmon was sent here to open the Dimensional Door so there would be a way for the Royal Knights to enter this world," Duftmon explained. "This has been my plan," he softly chuckled, "to destroy this world!"

"Duftmon…" Omegamon shook his head. "I won't allow that!" He quickly extended his left arm, revealing his Grey Sword. Just as he was about to slash his weapon at Duftmon, another Digimon with white draconic armor caught the blade with his arms. Omegamon's eyes widened in surprise. "And you… Dynasmon! Don't tell me you agree with Duftmon!?"

"Hm…" Dynasmon smirked at him.

Duftmon laughed. "We can have it out here and now, Omegamon! We abide none who interfere with the noble will of our king!"

"Stop it!" Nokia cried out. "You're all Royal Knights, right? The same as Omegamon, right? Then how come you have to fight each other!?"

"Cease your human prattle," Duftmon coldly dismissed her, "or consider your life forfeit."

"It doesn't matter if we're human or Digimon!" the girl refused to back down. "We should be able to understand each other better than this! All of us, humans and Digimon, are living together!"

"Do you seek an early death, girl?" Duftmon frowned at her as he raised his blade.

"That's far enough, Duftmon!" another voice called out.

Duftmon looked up as a knight Digimon carrying a large round shield took his place beside Omegamon. The lion warrior narrowed his eyes on the newcomer. "You…! Dukemon!?"

"There is some truth in what the girl says," Dukemon stated. "Withdraw from this place, Duftmon!"

"Dukemon," the other Royal Knight shook his head, "do you stand with the humans as well? You cannot have forgotten the destruction Eaters unleashed on our Digital World, nor where they spawned from," he growled before glaring at the two humans standing with Omegamon.

"I have not forgotten for a single moment," Dukemon shook his head, "But that is no reason to destroy this world."

"Very well," Duftmon turned away from them. "We shall withdraw. Fighting between Royal Knights would be too much of a waste. That said, the plan cannot be stopped. The end of this world is the will of Yggdrasil!" Without another word, Duftmon and Dynasmon quickly took off into the skies.

"Okay then," Nokia let out a relieved sigh as they wouldn't have to fight at all, but she still wore a worried frown before looking up towards Dukemon. "So then what about the Digital World?"

"Everything was consumed by Eaters," the knight told them. "We were left with naught but despair."

"H-how can that be?" Nokia knit her eyebrows together. "If everything is really how Omegamon said…"

"We Royal Knights kept fighting to rid the Digital World of Eaters," Dukemon continued. "The anger Duftmon and the others hold for the human race being the genesis of the Eaters is immeasurable. That is why, in their obstinacy, their hatred drives them to wipe out humanity. Eliminate the Eaters along with humanity… That was the plan hatched by Duftmon and those in the Royal Knights who agreed with him."

"J-just how many Royal Knights are bent on human destruction!?" Nokia asked.

"At least half of them, but there are many who yet waver," the knight nodded. "It won't be impossible to convince them. Of course, whether that comes to pass depends on you. Are you up to the task?"

Nokia looked towards the silent boy at her side in worry, but Takumi flashed her a reassuring smile. "Of course!" Takumi gave Dukemon a determined nod. "We'll do whatever it takes."

"It is our only option!" Omegamon agreed. "When the Dimensional Door closed, the flow of energy from the Digital World stopped. That means that Duftmon and the others won't be able to take actions right away. They need to lay low and store up energy first. We must seek out and locate the remaining Royal Knights before they make a move in earnest."

"But won't we have to fight any Digimon who ally with Duftmon?" Nokia worriedly pointed out.

"Yes…" Omegamon reluctantly nodded. "That seems unavoidable. But we should keep explaining our position as much as possible. There are Digimon who may join us. My sworn friends," he smiled at the knight Digimon at his side, "like Dukemon."

"Indeed," Dukemon smiled back at Omegamon. "When you are a prisoner to hatred, you choose the wrong path by mistake. I need to begin as you said, by knowing humans."

"Yeah!" Nokia nodded to both Digimon. "Thank, Omegamon, Dukemon!"

"Now then…" Omegamon looked up at the sky. "Let's continue by looking for Royal Knights. There are signals from other Royal Knights all over the place. Dukemon should stay here. It's better if we split up to look."

"Okay!" the girl cried. "You're on the case now, Cyber Sleuth!" she told Takumi. "We'll call if we find someone, too!"

"Alright," Takumi smiled at them as they all separated. "I'll help Nokia and the others search for the Royal Knights. But I'd better check in at the agency before that." He turned towards the station. "Kyoko-san might be there," he wishfully muttered.

* * *

"I'm home," Takumi called out.

"Welcome home, Takumi," Pete smiled at the boy. The Digimon noticed how the smile on the teen's face momentarily wavered. "I'm sorry… Kyoko-san still isn't back yet."

"That's fine," the Cyber Sleuth sighed as he approached the desk. "Have any new cases come in?"

"None so far," the Wanyamon shook his head. "How was Nokia?"

"She and Omegamon have decided to search for the other Royal Knights in the hopes we can get them to help, but it looks like half of them will be opposing us. As far as our allies, we can count Omegamon and Dukemon," Takumi nodded, "but we'll be going against LordKnightmon, Duftmon, and Dynasmon." He curiously looked over at Pete. "Hey, do you think you can use Kyoko-san's computer and scan for the other members?"

"I can try," Pete smiled, "but I don't know if anything will turn up."

"That's fine," the teenager nodded. "Any little bit helps and like Kyoko-san would say, 'We've got nothing to lose'!" He paused at that. "Nothing to lose…" He closed his eyes and brought a hand to his mouth.

"Huh? What's wrong, Takumi?" Pete worriedly stared at the boy.

"I have nothing to lose alongside my friends," Takumi reminded himself as he opened his eyes. "That was something Kyoko-san once told me. I wanted to further analyze that proverb as something in it bothered me, but she told me to not think about it too deeply, because it would be inelegant." The redhead wryly chuckled as he shook his head. "I can see why she wouldn't want me to given the glaring problem I discovered with it, but I suppose that's one reason for me to 'doggedly and with all my might, exhibit endurance like hard black iron' until she returns."

"You're not making any sense again," the Digimon whined.

"S-sorry…" the Cyber Sleuth crookedly smiled before scratching Pete's head. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that I really miss Kyoko-san, but I know she completely trusts me to handle this on my own. For her sake, I'll keep doing my best…" he nodded. "Thanks for taking care of me until then, Pete."

Pete affectionately rubbed his face against the boy's hand. "No problem! How about I brew some coffee for us?" The Wanyamon jumped off Kyoko's desk and started for the office kitchen. "What do you want to throw in this time?"

"I think we have canned tuna," Takumi smiled. "Try using the water from the tuna to brew the coffee."

"Alright," the Digimon nodded before disappearing into the back.

The Cyber Sleuth was about to attempt to use Kyoko's computer himself but he paused when the door to the agency opened. He turned to see who it was but he blinked when a familiar girl with brown hair came in. "Um, excuse me?" she frowned at the boy. "Do you have a second? Or are you working on a case right now?"

"Welcome to the Kuremi Detective Agency," Takumi smiled at her. "Can I help you with something?" he asked bringing a hand up to his chin as he tried to recalled who she was.

"Do you remember me? My name is Yamashina Chika," the girl nodded. "We spoke before about my dad…"

"Of course," the boy nodded when he finally recognized her. "Please take a seat on the sofa and tell me about your case, Chika-san."

Chika nodded and explained her situation to him. "He's been acting strangely lately…" she frowned. "He suddenly started mumbling things like 'I was betrayed by Kamishiro', and something about an accident eight years ago." Takumi's eyes widened at this but he remained silent as the girl continued. "I think he's in what's called a state of confusion. It got so awkward we ended up checking him in to the Central Hospital. He was fine until the other day. But why did he suddenly…?" She looked up towards Takumi. "You were investigating him the other day, right? Please, tell me! Is something happening to him?"

Takumi shook his head. "Sorry, but I'm not sure either. During that time I was asking you about your father, I was actually looking into the company he had been a part of. Your father's current state might be related, but I can't really say that with certainty."

"What? You were investigating something else?" Chika sighed. "I see… Then I guess you don't know either. Then can I ask you to take the case? Will you find out what's happening to my dad? I was too scared to learn about his past. I thought he'd go back to being the cold and distant father he was before. But my family needs to know if there's something in his past that's hurting him!"

"Of course," Takumi nodded and gave her a reassuring smile. "I'll do whatever I can."

"Thank you!" Chika gratefully smiled. "I'm counting on you… Detective."

Takumi watched as she leaved before chuckling to himself. "Chika-san's father, Yamashina Makoto, is in the Central Hospital. Time to have a look!" he got up and placed his hands on his hips. "Pete!" he called out to the kitchen. "A case just came in so I'm going out."

"Have a safe trip!" Pete called back. "I'll keep the coffee hot until you return."

"If it's not strong enough, feel free to add whatever you like," the redhead smirked before leaving. "I'll see you later!"

* * *

Takumi patiently waited for the elevator to come down before a voice behind him made him turn. "What a coincidence meeting you here, Takumi-san!"

"Yuuko-san!" the Cyber Sleuth blinked at her in surprise.

"Are you working?" she asked.

"That's right," he politely smiled. "Are you visiting someone?"

"I came to look in on my brother," she replied with a slight frown. "That reminds me…" She took a deep breath before looking straight into the taller boy's blue eyes. "Takumi-san? Do you have a moment?"

"What is it?" he tilted his head to the side.

"Would you… talk to my brother with me?" She lowered her gaze. "I'd like you to see him, Takumi-san."

Takumi stared at her for a while before nodding. "Alright," he answered as she led him to the Special Ward. He paused for a moment as he passed his own body.

Yuuko noticed him staring at himself and frowned. "Takumi-san?"

The boy continued towards her with an apologetic smile on his face. "Sorry…"

She shook her head at him as she knew what it was he was thinking of. "It's alright. I understand." She gave him a few more minutes before showing him to the private room where her brother was kept. "This way…"

Takumi wryly smiled as he went inside. He stood off the side before studying the sleeping raven-haired boy on the bed. "Ah… So this is…"

"My brother, Yuugo…" Yuuko nodded as she knelt at the bed's side.

Takumi frowned. "It must have been difficult for you to have watched over him all this time…"

Yuuko shook her head as she leaned over the bed's railing to stare at her brother's peaceful face. "Up until now, I hadn't felt terribly sad taking care of my brother. No matter how I spoke to him or touched him, there was never any response. I accepted that as a matter of fact. But then I heard my brother speak through you the other day…" Yuuko frowned as she looked over towards Takumi standing at the other side of the bed. "And it made me sad, somehow. It drove home the fact that my brother is not normal, with his silence and his endless sleep."

Takumi sadly lowered his gaze in guilt. "I'm sorry…"

Yuuko shook her head at him as he had no reason to apologize. "I will find the cause of EDEN Syndrome," she told him with a determined expression on her face, "to protect EDEN and save my brother." Her gaze softened as she stared at the Cyber Sleuth. "And I'll find a way to restore your body to you. I'm sure of it, Takumi-san."

"Eh?" the red-haired boy looked up at her.

"It's my turn to save you," she told him with a nod, "because I can't yet find a way to thank you for saving me."

"You… don't have to go that far…" Takumi frowned, "but… I'm glad…" He nodded to the raven-haired girl. "Thank you, Yuuko-san."

She smiled at him before her cheeks turned red. "Ah… I was thinking… Maybe… we don't have to address each other so formally…"

"Hm? What do you mean?" the boy blinked at him.

"For you to have seen such a side of me when you saved me, it would be strange for us to still consider each other as just business associates, don't you think?" Yuuko noticed Takumi was still wearing a blank expression. "You don't use honorifics with Nokia-san, but you do with me," Yuuko stated with a slight frown.

"Well, I've known Nokia for a long time now and she's my best friend," he told her. "Of course I wouldn't use an honorific with her. The same sort of thing applies to Arata."

"Then what about Fei?"

"Since I met her through your Yuugo avatar, I consider her to be a casual acquaintance," Takumi answered with a slight shrug. "As a person I have a business relationship with," he averted his gaze and sheepishly scratched his reddening cheek, "it's only proper I use honorifics for you."

"I see…" Yuuko brought her hand up to her mouth as she studied the polite detective. "But we're friends now, correct? It's okay for us to drop honorifics with each other, Takumi," she nodded.

"Ah…" Takumi stared at her in mild surprise. "You called me just by my name." He grinned and nodded to her. "Alright, Yuuko-chi."

"Don't call me that," she coolly frowned at him.

"How about Yuuko-rin?" he smirked.

"Not that either," she sighed.

"Eh…? You don't like it, Kamishiro-san?"

"That's even more formal than before," Yuuko shook her head at him. "Just Yuuko is fine."

"Alright, I understand," Takumi smiled, "Yuuko-san." He laughed as the girl stared at him with a deadpan expression. "I'm just kidding, Kamishiro Yuuko-san."

"You really are strange, Aiba Takumi," Yuuko ended up cracking a smile at his unusual sense of humor before remembering he was working on a case. "I'm sorry for taking so much of your time. You came to the hospital as part of your job, right?"

"I did?" the blue-eyed boy knit his eyebrows together as he couldn't remember. "Oh, wait, that's right. I did," he nodded.

"Could you tell me about it?" she asked. "I might be able to help you in some way."

"Let's see…" Takumi frowned as he thought back to his current case. "Oh yeah! I came to the hospital to check on… Yamashina Makoto-san. He's here due to… mental confusion? Or was it memory lapse?" The Cyber Sleuth brought his hand to his head. "No, he's in a state of confusion."

"Is that so?" Yuuko nodded as she considered it herself. "Yamashina-san was admitted to the hospital in a state of mental confusion? I see…" She rose to her feet and prepared to leave. "I should be able to check Yamashina-san's room number at the reception desk in the lobby. Let's go."

"Ah, thanks for helping me, Yuuko," Takumi gratefully nodded to her.

* * *

Takumi stood off the side as Yuuko spoke with the nurse at the counter. He worriedly frowned to himself as he tried to keep his thoughts together. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. _I'm fine… It's just a momentary lapse in memory, attention, and judgment. Keep calm. Keep cool. I've got this._ He opened his eyes when he felt Yuuko's Digivice coming towards him.

"They say he's definitely here but they seem to have lost track of his room number," Yuuko frowned. "The hospital staff is searching for it now."

"Eh!?" Takumi blinked. "They lost a patient? We'd better go find him then."

"I'll help," the girl nodded. "Let's look together." She looked around the lobby with an uncertain expression on her face. "But how do we look for him?"

Takumi smiled as he came up with a simple solution. "We ask around."

"Of course," Yuuko turned her head towards him. "We go back to the basics. We ask if anyone has seen a confused man in the hospital." She smiled at the Cyber Sleuth. "I feel better now. You truly are a great cyber sleuth, even on your own."

The red-haired teen blushed at her praise. "What can I say? Kyoko-san trained me well."

"Okay, let's split up and look for Yamashina-san," Yuuko suggested.

Takumi nodded to her and watched as she checked with another nurse while he decided to ask the patients waiting in the lobby. He passed by an energetic boy bouncing in his seat and the child quickly called out to him. "Hey! Do you know the 'forbidden hospital room'? I know allll about it!"

"Sorry, but I'm looking for a deranged man wandering the hospital," Takumi shook his head. "Have you seen a patient like that?"

"D ranged man?" the boy blinked at him. "What's that got to do with the hospital? Where's the 'd range', anyway? Is it the Transylvania mountains? What does the 'D' stand for? I don't get it!"

"Ah… no… That's not what I—"

"Anyway!" the boy shook his head. "The 'Forbidden Hospital Room'! You can hear a 'spooky voice' coming from it! Like an 'oooOOoooOoo' voice! Do you think it's an animal? Or a monster!?" He excitedly bounced up and down. "Or a Digimon!? You should go check it out! It sounds pretty cool, right? Right!?"

"Do you know where the room is?" Takumi asked.

"You're really gonna go hear the weird voice in the forbidden room?" the boy's eyes widened. "For real? No chickening out, okay?"

After Takumi got the information he needed, he approached Yuuko. "Did you find anything?" he asked her. She shook her head in reply, so Takumi pointed to the elevators. "Well, I think I found a lead. We should check out the room together."

"Right," Yuuko nodded before following Takumi to the General Ward. They continued down the hall before Takumi paused in front of a door. He double-checked the number etched into the plate before knocking.

"Wh-who are you?" a confused man asked, opening the door.

"Yamashina-san!" Takumi blinked at him in surprise.

"Oh… Oh, yes…" the man stared at the teenagers. "My subordinates at Kamishiro?"

"He's here!" Yuuko exclaimed. "I knew you could do it, Takumi!"

"Yeah, but… he really does seem to be in a state of confusion," Takumi worriedly frowned.

"Just who are you two?" Yamashina asked them. "What would you have with me? I was betrayed… or did I betray someone?" He brought a hand up to his head. "Something happened… eight years ago? And then…" He quickly shook his head. "Stop… I'm sorry… I don't know…" The man slowly grew agitated. "I don't remember, don't want to… can't recall." He let out a distressed scream.

Yuuko took a deep breath before cautiously approaching the confused man. "Are you all right?" she asked. "Yamashina-san! What happened? Please, tell us! I am connected to Kamishiro," she calmly told him. "I can help you. I'm sure of it."

"Kami…shiro?" Yamashina focused his gaze on the girl as he tried to remember. "Yes, I… worked… in the lab there… underground…" He suddenly grabbed Yuuko by her shoulders.

"Yuuko!" Takumi tensed up.

"I… I beg of you!" Yamashina pleaded. "I need to… to the lab… Take me to the Roppongi Underground Center!"

"Eh!?" Yuuko gasped at the thought of returning to that dreadful place. "Why there?"

"I have to go… There's something there… I…" Yamashina shook her. "I have to go… I have to go… I have to goooo…!"

"Let her go first!" Takumi managed to pull Yuuko free from him. He worriedly frowned at Yuuko. "Are you okay? And what do you think about his request?"

"It seems we had better go with him," she seriously frowned.

"Yeah, but… you don't have to come along, Yuuko," Takumi told her.

She shook her head. "Don't worry. I'll be fine," she reassured him. "Just don't you disappear again like last time."

"Alright," he smiled. "We're taking Yamashina-san to the Roppongi Lab."

* * *

"We're at the lab," Yuuko stated as she looked around the empty room. "Yamashina-san?" She and Takumi turned towards the man as he studied the terminal.

"Yes… This is it…" he nodded. "This is where I worked…" He paused for a moment and brought a hand up to his head. "Wh-what? Memories… So many memories…"

"He seems to be remembering something," Yuuko noticed.

"I wonder what it is," Takumi nodded.

"We were scanning… uploading… rewriting…" Yamashina groaned, "Mental data…" He suddenly looked up. "That's it… yes!" he cried. "My research was into the creation of mental data!"

"The creation of mental data!?" Yuuko gasped in surprise. "You created the technological basis for EDEN's basic systems?"

"It wasn't just me," Yamashina shook his head. "There was someone with me… A joint researcher."

"Suedou Akemi," Takumi guessed.

"S-suedou…" Yamashina knit his eyebrows together at the familiar name. "It was Suedou! He's the one who stole my memories from me!"

"Eh!?" Takumi blinked at that. "Is that possible?"

"Suedou-san… stole your memories?" Yuuko asked, equally as confused as her friend.

"I… I beg of you," the man turned towards the teens. "Get my memories back for me! You can do it if you use this device! I've suffered enough over things I can't even remember!"

"Alright," Takumi nodded.

"I'll operate the device," Yuuko stated. "Please instruct me, Yamashina-san."

The amnesiac man took a seat at the terminal and put on the strange helmet as Yuuko stood at the terminal's control panel. "First, load my mental data…" he told her, "then make a copy. The copy should then be run in the hardware's virtual memory. That will keep it protected. If we then overwrite the original data with the altered copy, the memories… should change… Run my current memories in virtual memory… If we then specify a memory field, the device will…" As he spoke, the man began to flicker as if he were undergoing a digital distortion.

"Yamashina-san!?" Yuuko blinked at him in surprise and tried to approach him, only to have Takumi suddenly pull her back.

"Yuuko, be careful!" Takumi cried out as an alarm began to blare. "Don't get too close to him." He winced as his body slightly flickered too. "The Digital Waves around him are becoming unstable."

"This copied data is causing a Digital Shift!?" Yuuko's eyes widened. She quickly looked at the monitor to search for what was responsible. "It looks like there's something built into his memory data and it's blocking removal of the protection!"

"A Digital Shift…" Takumi looked towards the man on the terminal. "In that case…!" Without another word, he ran straight towards Yamashina with his right arm out. He Connect Jumped directly into the terminal and watched as various words flew towards him. All of them had to do with EDEN in one way or another, but Takumi ignored them as he landed in a new network. Once he was settled, his Digivice began to ring.

"Good," Yuuko let out a sigh of relief that he answered. "It seems I was able to get a connection. Your sudden Connect Jump really surprised me. I think I understand Kyoko-san puts up with now."

"She's usually the one asking me to perform the jump though," the Cyber Sleuth sheepishly smirked. "It's not that bad… is it?" he asked as he scratched his cheek.

"It's just a bit off-putting seeing you suddenly disappear like that," Yuuko shook her head at him before seriously getting back to business. "Okay, I'll navigate from here now that the mapping of the mental data is finished. There should be some protection in place on the memories, somewhere amidst the data. Break through that if you can. Then we're sure to have access to Yamashina-san's memories."

"Understood," Takumi nodded. He ran down the linear path until it ended on a wide platform. He blinked as he noticed a strange mechanical octopus creature with multiple ray guns scanning the area. Takumi tensed up as its eyes lit up once it sensed his presence.

"Be careful!" Yuuko cried out. "That doesn't look like any ordinary Digimon!"

"It's a Digimon!?" the Cyber Sleuth blinked as the Digimon continued scanning him.

"That Digimon is comprised of converted memory data," Yuuko told him. "It's very likely that it's using the altered data as protection. If we can break through, we should be able to free the data and restore it to its original state! Please, you have to!"

"Just leave it to me!" Takumi nodded as he quickly called out his Digimon to defend himself against the Ebemon as it pointed one of his ray guns at him. "We won't lose!"

" _Asobu!_ " Ebemon cried out in the garbled Digimon language as it fired.

"Golden Triangle!" Rapidmon countered the strange beam, but he blinked when his attack was being pushed back while at the same time becoming buggy. He flinched when Ebemon's beam finally overpowered him, but noticed he wasn't damaged. Shaking it off, the Cybord Digimon aimed an arm cannon at their opponent. "Rapid Fire!"

Takumi frowned as the attack didn't quite damage Ebemon as much as it should have. "Isn't Ebemon a Virus?"

"Brain Rupture!" Ebemon fired back at Rapidmon, knocking the cyborg out of the air.

"Rapidmon!" the Cyber Sleuth's eyes widened when he realized his Digimon had been bugged. "Andromon! Be careful not get hit his 'playful' beam or else you'll be bugged too! WereGarurumon (Black), don't hold back!"

The werewolf howled as he leapt into the air. "Full Moon Kick!"

"Gatling Missile!"

Takumi frowned as he dug through his bag for a patch to repair Rapidmon and another one to debug him. He winced as the Ebemon let out cry before jumping around. _"Henshin!"_ The strange Digimon pointed its gun to itself and fired, bugging itself in the process.

"Andromon! Switch out!" Takumi recalled him and quickly began loading Lilimon.

WereGarurumon (Black) growled as he was the only one left able to fight, but he continued attacking Ebemon. "Kaiser Nail!"

Ebemon pointed its laser rifle at the werewolf. _"Puranetto Desutoroiya!"_

The dark Virus Digimon nimbly evaded the powerful beam and raised his leg into the air. "Garuru Kick!" His eyes widened as Ebemon's charged ray gun was pointed towards him.

"Temptation!" Lilimon circled the robotic octopus, binding it in leaves and vines, before pulling WereGarurumon (Black) towards safety.

Takumi lowered his unused debugger and pushed Rapidmon back up. "Alright! Go for it!"

"Rapid Fire!" the Keen Hound cried.

Ebemon winced at the explosions before frustratingly stamping its tentacles on the ground. _"Modosu!"_ The Digimon glowed in a strange light.

"Flower Cannon!" Lilimon shot a blast of energy at it and Takumi frowned as it looked like Ebemon debugged itself.

"Lilimon! Get back!" The Cyber Sleuth quickly applied his debugger on Rapidmon. "Rapidmon! WereGarurumon (Black)!"

"Homing Missile!"

"Full Moon Kick!"

Ebemon was stunned by both attacks and Takumi quickly called out to his team to finish it off. "Xros Combo!"

"Flower Cannon!"

"Rapid Fire!"

"Foxfire!"

Ebemon crackled with static and electricity as it fell and Takumi winced as around him the network shifted. When he opened his eyes again, he was down on a knee on the floor of the underground lab. Takumi let out a relieved sigh before catching his breath. He closed his eyes and took a moment to recover.

"Takumi!" Yuuko knelt down at her friend's side to check he was okay. She suddenly looked up as Yamashina groaned. She helped Takumi up and frowned at the man at the terminal. "Are you all right, Yamashina-san?"

"Yes, I'm okay," the man nodded. "My memories came flooding back all at once, so I'm still a bit disoriented, but… I am myself." He frowned as he looked down at his own body. "My body may well have wanted to be reunited with its true memories for all these years."

"If I may ask, just what was written into your memories, Yamashina-san?" Yuuko inquired.

"The EDEN beta test from eight years ago," Yamashina replied.

"The beta test!?" the girl blinked.

"Yes," he nodded. "It took place with several hundred invited participants. It was a closed beta. We tested both operations and gameplay. At the time I was working for the Nile Corporation, which Kamishiro had already bought out and acquired. Suedou and I ran the beta test. But it was more than a test. It was a promo and a demo event in and of itself. And to have such an accident occur at the event!" his frown deepened. "None of the designers predicted it."

"What happened?" Takumi asked with a tilt of his head.

"During the beta test, five children participating fell unconscious due to unknown causes. Four regained consciousness quite soon, but the fifth became the first EDEN Syndrome patient."

"And that would be my brother," Yuuko frowned at the floor.

"I see…" the man nodded to her. "You're the daughter of Kamishiro's CEO."

"Five children total…?" Takumi knit his eyebrows together as a strange uneasiness welled up within him. He stared at the strange terminal with a serious frown on his face as everything around him seemed vaguely familiar. Takumi cautiously approached the machine to study it.

"So there were four other children involved besides my brother," Yuuko considered before she continued to probe the man for information. "Do you remember who they were?"

"I'm sorry, but I don't," Yamashina shook his head. "It's not that my memory's been altered. I simply don't know! I, and the EDEN I built, stole those children's lives. I couldn't bear it… I couldn't face the failure I had created. My awareness of my guilt sickened me emotionally. That's why Suedou erased my memories for me. He saved me, for a time. By the beta test phase, the EDEN Network already had ties with various government agencies. Massive amounts of money were in play. That was why no one could bring the project to a halt. In order to report that the test was a success, we had to pretend as if nothing had happened."

"But what about those children?" Yuuko asked.

"I think the only one to have talked to them was Suedou," Yamashina shook his head. "Once they regained consciousness, the four of them all began to speak of peculiar things. The world they described was like something straight out of a fairy tale," the man continued. "Most of the researchers concluded that excessive stress had induced a mass hysteria state. Suedou did not, however. He alone insisted on hearing every last word the four children had to say. His eyes shone as if he were a child. Yes…" Yamashina frowned at the memory. "As if he were a child who had found a treasure."

"If we ask Suedou, he'll know who the children are?" Yuuko frowned.

"Yes, but it's pointless to search for the children," Yamashina shook his head. "Suedou stole their memories."

"He stole… their memories!?"

"Not stole them, really, but, as he did for me, he encrypted them and sealed them away," the man said, gesturing to the terminal behind him. "Although memories can be altered, they can never be completely erased. 'Nothing' is a difficult thing to achieve."

"But why would he do that?" Yuuko asked as she knit her eyebrows together. "They were the only clue about the incident."

"You would have to ask Suedou that," Yamashina sighed. "Still, his sealing their memories may have saved them. They were all crying."

Yuuko frowned at that and looked towards Takumi to see what he was thinking, but noticed he had gone up to the terminal without her noticing. His back was turned towards them as she figured he was examining the machine to get a better idea of how it worked.

Takumi blankly stared at it and blinked before feeling something dripping down his cheek. He brought his gloved hand to his face before staring at his wet fingertips. "Crying…?" He knit his eyebrows together as he didn't understand what was going on. _Is it my body…? Or Yuugo's memory fragment within me?_ He tried to make some sense of it but a strange sense of loneliness filled his heart with pain. He quickly wiped up his face before turning to face Yuuko. "Let's leave this line of reasoning alone for now. There's also nothing else left for us to do here, so let's just go."

"By the way," Yamashina spoke up, stopping the boy from leaving, "I realize this is a selfish request, but there's something I'd like to ask of you." Takumi and Yuuko looked towards the man in confusion. "Could you seal away my memories for me once more?" he asked.

"What!?" Yuuko stared at him in surprise.

"The old me was too caught up in my work," Yamashina frowned. "My family couldn't depend on me and I made my daughter—my darling Chika—cry more than a few times. But without my memories, I became a caring father. Without those memories, I was finally the ideal person my family needed me to be," he smiled.

"Are you certain this is what you want?" Yuuko seriously asked him. "This system can only alter your memories. Your subconscious feelings of guilt may bring back that pain again someday."

"You are correct," the man nodded. "I experienced those symptoms because of a physical memory shift."

"A memory… shift?"

"Human memories do not exist solely in the brain," he explained. "They shift to neurons throughout the body, accumulating in tiny amounts throughout. Which is why, for instance, no matter how hard you hide the memories in my head, my eyes, ears and hands won't forget them. That is how humans are made."

"How humans… are made…?" Takumi stared down at his half-cyber body before clenching his right hand.

"But now that I've told you everything, I feel somehow more at ease," Yamashina stated in relief. "Perhaps this is a form of repentance. I beg of you. Let me forget my past once more. I want my family to be happy for the rest of my life."

"Takumi…" Yuuko turned to her friend. "What on earth should we do?"

Takumi frowned as he couldn't really agree with the man's request. "I don't think we should."

"Eh!?" she stared at the blue-eyed boy in surprise.

"Even if you'll no longer be plagued by your memories," Takumi seriously looked up at the former scientist, "it would be like you're running away from your past."

Yamashina frowned at the teen. "Even so, I only want my family to be happy."

"You can change with your own strength," the redhead shook his head. "Chika-san was really worried about you when she asked me to look into your past. She was scared to face the truth, but she went through with it anyway for your sake. If you truly want to repent, you'll face the truth too, with her." He seriously looked into the man's eyes as he brought his right fist to his heart. "You both have nothing to lose together."

"I see…" Yamashina smiled at Takumi's strong will. "You're right…" He chuckle as he scanned the room once more. "I suppose it's time I returned home. I want to see Chika and tell her everything will be okay now." He gratefully nodded to Yuuko and Takumi. "Thank you for everything."

* * *

"Was this the right thing to do?" Yuuko asked as they watched Chika greet her father as he returned home.

Takumi never took his eyes off the man's back as Yamashina disappeared into his apartment. "There's no good answer for that," the boy simply replied. "Whatever happens now will be up to him. There's nothing more we can do."

The raven-haired nodded as she agreed with his sentiments. "I must be going then," she sighed. "I've got to go after Rie-san and Suedou-san to solve the mystery of EDEN Syndrome." She turned to leave. "I'll be in touch."

"Alright," Takumi nodded. He stared at the front door leading into the Yamashina residence for a while longer before his Digivice began to ring. "Aiba Takumi speaking," he answered.

"Sorry to catch you when you're busy," Matayoshi suddenly came up on the screen, "but I need your help. Can you come to Shinjuku right away?"

In the background, Takumi could hear Date's panicked cries. "Get back! You want me to shoot you with this!? You squishy, gross thing! You can shoot something for being gross! Ain't that right, Matayoshi-san?"

"Just shut up and wait for a second!" the detective turned towards her. "We can't handle this," he quickly told Takumi. "This is your area of expertise. Please, give us a hand!"

After Matayoshi cut the call, Takumi seriously frowned to himself. "Matayoshi-san and Date-san seem to be in big trouble." He swiftly turned around and jumped down the flight of stairs before taking off towards Shinjuku.

* * *

"You're late!" Date scowled at the Cyber Sleuth as he arrived.

Takumi stopped running and he tensed up when he noticed an Eater had her and Matayoshi cornered. "So they really are showing up in the real world," he frowned.

"Don't just stand there!" Date yelled. "Hurry up and help us! If you're not quick about it, I'll arrest you!"

"I'm sorry," Matayoshi frowned as he kept a careful eye on the Eater. "You see the situation though. I'm begging you!"

"Leave it to me!" Takumi nodded as he sent his team forward to attack the monster. "Xros Combo!"

"Temptation!"

"Homing Missile!"

"Full Moon Kick!"

It didn't take long for him to get rid of the Eater, but Takumi quickly scanned their surroundings just in case there were more lurking nearby. When he didn't notice anything else, he relaxed his guard and called for his Digimon to return into his Digivice. "We're clear."

Date scratched the back of her head and flashed the teenager a smile. "That's a relief…" she sighed.

"Boy, do we owe you one," Matayoshi smirked. "It looks like there's another similar monster underground though," he seriously stated, pointing to the station entrance. "Can you take care of that one, too?"

Takumi nodded. "Of course."

"Also, I…" the detective crossed his arms, "spotted Sanada here. Looks like he was headed underground too."

"Arata!?" the Cyber Sleuth tensed up.

"Given the situation, I wasn't in a position to stop him, but I think that monster was chasing him. But more than me right now," he shook his head, "what Sanada needs is you, kid. Go after him. Sorry for always coming to you with this stuff," Matayoshi sighed. "But when it comes down to it, this is just too much for us to handle. Seems like all we can do is depend on you guys. Maybe it's time I retired after all."

"What's all this whiny navel-gazing, Detective!?" Date exclaimed in shock. "You've got work to do! Being mousy like this isn't your style, Detective! 'Sides, you said you'd take care of me 'til I got hitched and I'm not letting you skip out early!"

"I said nothing of the sort," the old man frowned. "Don't try to forge testimony, Detective. And working 'til someone marries you… so I get to retire when I'm 100?"

"Whatever works," Date shrugged. "Hey, by then, I'll be the one taking care of you," she laughed.

Matayoshi began laughing too. "Seems every cloud does have a silver lining." He smiled at Takumi who was smirking at them. "Get going, son. We'll do our best to handle things out here."

"Right!" Takumi nodded before starting for the underground station.

* * *

Arata smirked as he saw a familiar face coming down the stairs. The raven-haired hacker coolly walked towards Takumi with his hands in his pockets. "Hey," he nodded to the redhead. "It's been a while. Imagine running into you here. Did someone put you up to this?"

Takumi frowned at him. "Arata…"

"I was just joking," the older boy shook his head. "By the way, how are you feeling? Your body's not getting worse, is it?" he worriedly asked.

"It's holding up," the Cyber Sleuth looked down at his body. He shook his head before glaring at his friend. "Forget about that though! What about you!? What have you been doing all this time!?"

"Very funny. Who worries about a wanted criminal?" Arata wryly smiled, knowing full well that Takumi would always prioritize others over himself. Still, that was what defined Takumi as well as made him a very good friend. Knowing that, Arata decided to tell the younger boy of his recent activities. "I've been looking into Eaters while avoiding the cops and potential witnesses. The life of a fugitive is harder than I thought it'd be," he frowned. "I'll save the whining for later though," he seriously stated, looking back up to Takumi. "Some of my buds were chased here by Eaters. I thought I could help 'em before they get attacked. But you don't want to be guilty by association. 'Leave this to me and get the hell out of here' is what I should be saying, but I know you won't listen to me anyway."

Takumi coolly frowned and narrowed his eyes on Arata. "If you know it, don't say it," he crossed his arms as he tried imitating Yuuko.

Arata chuckled at his friend's impersonation. "You sound just like her!" He relaxed a bit more. "But it's reassuring that you came. Shall we fight side-by-side, for old times' sake?"

"Just don't hold me back, Arata, you no-good geek!" Takumi exclaimed.

"Hey, hey," the older boy frowned. "That's enough with the jokes. It's actually kinda creepy how you're so accurate with your impressions."

"Tch," Takumi scowled as he slipped his hands into his pockets. "Let's just get going after that monster before we lose it then."

Arata shook his head. "Is that really how I sound like?" he asked as his chuckling friend took the lead.

* * *

Arata slowed down as a massive group of Eaters surrounded his friends. Before he could order Infermon to save them, the monsters swiped their tendrils at the humans. The raven-haired hacker weakly laughed at yet another failed attempt of his to help others. "Too late again, as always." He clenched his fists and glared at the Eaters. "Damn… If only I had more power…"

"Arata, let's go!" Takumi called out as they had to take out the monsters before they could wreak more havoc by leaving the labyrinth.

The humanoid Eater shot its arm towards Arata, but WereGarurumon (Black) quickly intercepted the attack. "Garuru Kick!"

"Fairy Vine!" A thorny vine extended from Lilimon's wrist and she used it to stab the Eater before pulling the monster back. This gave WereGarurumon (Black) the opening he needed to carry Arata to safety.

"Rapidmon! Rapid Fire!" Takumi called out to his Digimon before sending his werewolf back into the battle.

"Thanks," Arata frowned at his friend, wondering how he could remain so calm despite the situation. He shook his head though as he finally had Infermon join the fray. "Take it out with your Hell's Grenade!"

The spiderlike Digimon cackled as he shot blasts of energy from his mouth. Infermon brought in his limbs into his body before ramming into the Eater with as much force as possible. "Cocoon Attack!"

The Eater charged its power and Takumi shook his head. "It's preparing its Melt Processor attack! Guard it!"

"Cocoon Guard!" Arata ordered as the Eater launched both its arms towards the group of Digimon. Once the Eater's attack ended, Arata took advantage of its lowered defenses. "Infermon! Go!"

"Cocoon Attack!"

The Eater saw it coming though and quickly swung its arm towards the cocoon-like Digimon. Takumi knit his eyebrows together as it charged up again. "Xros Combo!"

All of his Digimon moved at once to surround the creature before its Melt Processor attack could land on Infermon. "Rapid Fire!" Rapidmon flew between the Eater and Infermon before shooting his missiles at the monster.

"Full Moon Kick!"

"Flower Cannon!"

The Eater fell to the ground in defeat and devolved into its mollusk-like form. Arata frowned at it before approaching the fallen creature. "Hey… What do you think, Takumi?"

"Arata…?" Takumi turned towards his friend in confusion.

"Do these things even have any sense of intellect?" Arata asked. "They just eat and eat like crazy. What could their purpose possibly be!?" he vehemently spat out.

"Allow me to answer that one for you," a familiar voice spoke from behind the teens.

Arata turned his head and gasped. "Suedou!?" He glared at the scientist. "Cut the crap, man! Always showing up whenever you feel like it! Are you sitting back watching this disaster unfold like it's a form of entertainment?"

"Observation and analysis are a researcher's duty," Suedou simply explained. "I go where I must. I am merely silent as I go. You also have a fascination with Eaters, I see…" he nodded. "And you're researching them."

"Do you know what the Eaters are after!?"

Suedou let out a satisfied chuckle. "Yes, you are definitely fascinated with them. I thought if anyone would be, it'd be you."

"Arata!" Takumi tensed up as he noticed the strange glint in the scientist's eyes. The expression on the man's face was eerily familiar and Takumi could feel his insides churn. "We shouldn't stay here," he tried to state as calmly as he could, trying his best to hide his discomfort.

Suedou smiled as Arata ignored the redhead. "This may take some time," the man began, "but out of respect for your intellectual curiosity, allow me to share my research with you to date."

"We don't have time for that right now!" Takumi cried. "Arata!"

"By the way, Arata," Suedou's smile grew, "why do you eat? What is your goal in this act?"

"My goal?" Arata stared at the man in surprise and confusion. "That's kind of random. There's no real goal in eating. If I don't eat, I'll die. I'm a living creature."

"That's right!" Suedou nodded. "We eat to live. Now, then, why do humans live?"

"That's easy enough," the raven-haired boy frowned. "We don't want to die, right?"

"That's just a biological instinct, riding on the sparks of emotion and logic," the scientist pointed out. "Think on a more rudimentary level! Creatures live to save their progeny. This is why we adapt to our environments while passing down our genes. In other words, it is an evolutionary imperative."

"Evolution?" Arata took it in.

"Exactly," Suedou nodded. "And in that regard, humans and Eaters are identical! Eaters parse and absorb what they've eaten as data. They have the power to overwrite that data as well. This is the phenomenon known to you as the 'bugging' of data. This is merely one reaction to that ability," he nodded to Takumi. "But the true power of Eaters lies not in bugging," the man shook his head. "Their true power lies in their ability to take the data they have absorbed and restructure it within themselves! By consuming their targets, they overwrite themselves and are reborn as new life!" he exclaimed. "And that, in other words, is evolution! Eaters are continuing to evolve as they devour their prey!"

"So they're eating in order to evolve?" Arata crossed his arms.

"That's right! Life, for Eaters, is evolution," Suedou cheerfully smiled. "Only by continuing to evolve do they live on! Don't you find that such a marvelous ability? This, this is what the study of life is all about! For Eaters, all existence is a chance to evolve. Take the wall separating reality from the digital away. They don't care. To them, it's all just food. And Eaters' ability to hunt down prey allows them to achieve in an instant what has taken man an eternity!"

"You allowed Eaters to eat the Dimensional Wall so they could evolve?" Arata asked in disbelief. "What are you and Kishibe up to?"

"Yes, I did work with Kishibe-san, it's true," Suedou nodded. "Our goals were aligned for a time. But that only extended as far as the collapse of the Dimensional Wall… As Kishibe-san herself put it, she wanted to open the Dimensional Door. I was more interested in the Wall. Semantically they're the same, but once you go past the abstract…" he shrugged.

"Wall, door, portal. It's all the same!" Arata shook his head. "Never mind all that. Are you saying you had another agenda!?"

Suedou chortled. "Once the Eaters erode the wall, the border between our world and the Digital World will be history! The real world will feel the effects of the Digital World as Digital Shifts continue! It will be a complete merging of the real and the digital! Think of what will be possible when that happens!" His eyes widened as he excitedly thought of the possibilities. "It's not a question of 'what' will be possible! Any and all things will become possible! It will be possible to modify the real world at will! Like overwriting a program in the Digital World! Until you achieve the perfection you desire! Over and over again!"

"No one can possibly want a world like that," Takumi frowned.

"Is that so?" the scientist wryly smiled at the redhead. "Well, I suppose you're one with the mindset that such perfection doesn't exist. You always were an odd one, silently enduring sorrow and pain without complaint."

"W-what...?" the Cyber Sleuth knit his eyebrows together as he felt something strange stir within him again. "I-I'm not..."

"I'm sure you can envision it too, Takumi..." Suedou nodded. "A world without suffering? A world where humanity is able to break the limits of this painful world?"

"That's your goal?" Arata asked. "It sounds like you're talking about the very evolution of the human race itself."

"Arata…?" The Cyber Sleuth tensed up as it sounded as though his friend was seriously contemplating Suedou's ideals.

"That's one way to put it," Suedou nodded at the fugitive. "To gain new power. We could call that evolution, I suppose."

"To gain new power?" Arata's eyes widened at that thought.

"If there's something you want to be capable of… If you want to achieve Nirvana…" Suedou smiled, "Chow down on something with the power and rewrite yourself! That is the fundamental means through which evolution occurs! One would be remiss to bemoan his situation while doing nothing to change it! Wouldn't you agree, Takumi?"

"Sorry, but I'll have to disagree," the Cyber Sleuth shook his head. "I believe that the strength to evolve lies in one's ability to overcome one's self," Takumi glared at the scientist. "Connecting to others, forming a network of bonds, enduring hardships with those you care about and trust…" He clenched his gloved hand as these were all things he believed in with every particle of his half-cyber being. "Evolution isn't about overwriting what once was. It's about growth! Becoming stronger to surpass, not destroy, previous limits. I can evolve without throwing myself away!"

"And what about you, Arata?" Suedou asked the raven-haired boy as his resolve was not as resolute as Takumi's. "What will you do? What do you want? What will you become?"

"Who, me!?" Arata blinked at that.

"By the way, Arata…" Suedou's eyes wandered to the side.

"Wh-what is it? Is there something that—?"

"You had best be careful," the man told him.

"Huh?" Arata stared at him in confusion.

"Be… hind… you," Suedou stated.

Takumi tensed up as he sensed the fallen Eater rising. "Arata!? Look out!"

"Those who cannot evolve will be weeded out," Suedou simply stated. "You mustn't dawdle."

"Arata!" Takumi screamed as he tried reaching for his friend.

Arata turned around in surprise but it was too late as the Eater already got him. He flinched as the world around him faded into nothing. His mind wandered a bit before he realized he wasn't dead. After all, Eaters only ate mental data, adding it to their collective pool of data.

The raven-haired hacker opened his eyes and frowned when he spotted a young boy with messy black hair standing before him. The child reached his hand out towards him and touched his chest. Arata's eyes widened as something inside his mind clicked. Images of four children rushed towards him before he spotted a familiar raven-haired boy resembling Yuuko. "Yuu…go!" Arata gasped as Yuugo's image turned ghost-like.

* * *

"Arata!" Takumi clenched his fists. He was about to rush towards the Eater but Suedou was already walking towards it. "Suedou! Get away from the Eater! It's dangerous!"

The man calmly chuckled at the Cyber Sleuth's concerns. "Well, then, Arata, I'm glad you're back. We finally stand at the crossroads of evolution and it would be for nothing if you were to simply vanish." He took out a keyboard and began typing.

Suddenly, Arata reappeared. The raven-haired hacker looked around, a bit disoriented. Takumi's eyes widened as he couldn't believe his friend was okay. "Arata!"

"How do you feel?" Suedou asked him.

"I… I…" Arata lowered his head. "What the!? Yuugo!"

"Arata…?" Takumi noticed the older boy was extremely agitated over something. "What's wrong?"

"Well, I'll be…" Suedou stared at Arata with great interest.

"Why…? But I… Nothing has changed!" Arata grabbed his head with both his hands. "I'm just some kid, unable to protect anyone!"

"Arata-kun…" Suedou sympathetically frowned at the poor teenager. "Are you feeling sad now?" Arata closed his eyes and let out a groan. "It's all right now," the man consoled him. "Soon, your sadness will be gone for good."

"My sadness… will be gone?" Arata asked, lifting his gaze towards the scientist.

"Come with me, Arata-kun," Suedou offered him with a smile. "Together we can push this incomplete world to a new stage. And in so doing, make your wishes come true."

Arata's eyes widened at that. He started walking towards the scientist, but a steady hand grabbed his arm. Arata turned to see Takumi staring at him with his blue eyes shining in worry.

"Arata…" Takumi frowned at him before shaking his head. "This isn't right! You can't go with him! I won't let you!"

"You're worried about me?" Arata flashed the younger boy a wry smile. "I understand. You and I have been buds for a long time." He lowered his gaze and frowned. "But there's something big I've still got to do. And in order to take care of things…" the older teen sharply pulled his arm free from Takumi's grip and turned his back on the Cyber Sleuth, "I need more power," he resolutely stated.

"Well spoken, Arata-kun!" Suedou's smile grew. "I respect the nobility of your spirit and your bravery in the face of change!" he chuckled. "You are perfectly suited to this new phase of human evolution! If you wish it, there is no power you could not attain!"

Arata let out a heavy breath as he considered the strength the man was offering him. The teen slowly walked away from Takumi, expecting the redhead to come after him at anytime now. He paused though as a woman's voice began to address him from behind Takumi. "Is that truly what you desire, Sanada Arata?"

"Eh!? Can it be…?" Takumi's blue eyes widened as he could recognize that voice from anywhere. He quickly turned around and smiled at the sight of the familiar blonde detective. "Kyoko-san!"

"Kyoko-san?" Arata blinked at her sudden appearance. "What are you doing here?"

"Who are you?" Suedou frowned at her before noticing how much Takumi seemed to have brightened due to her presence. He knit his eyes together as he guessed she was the one to have gotten to Takumi. "Could you kindly leave us be? He has already decided the path he is to walk!" The scientist quickly began typing and soon a firewall appeared, separating the detective and her assistant from Arata. "What do you think, Arata-kun?" Suedou asked with a smug smirk. "This is power! You can rewrite programs that would modify the very rules of the world in real time! And that is but the faintest taste of it."

Kyoko frowned at the man's actions and her assistant quickly rushed forward to begin hacking it. She held out her arm, though, to stop the boy from needlessly wasting his energy. The detective coolly stared at her assistant's friend as she expected the former leader of Jude to make his decision.

Knowing she was waiting for his answer, Arata frowned as he considered his options. "Sorry," he apologized to Takumi. "My mind's made up. I'm going."

Takumi frowned back at him. "Arata…"

"You're sure you won't regret this?" Kyoko asked.

"I've already been regretting something this whole time," Arata seriously stated with a nod. With that, Arata turned his back on his friend and left with Suedou.

"Arata!" Takumi called out. "Come back!" He quickly passed Kyoko but the woman placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Don't!" she sternly told her assistant.

"But, Kyoko-san…!" Takumi turned to face her. "I have to go after him! I can't just let him leave!"

"His will is strong," she calmly told him. "It's pointless to say anything now."

"But…!"

"What do you need to be doing now?" Kyoko sharply asked him. She studied his face carefully and noticed he was having a difficult time sorting through his thoughts and emotions. Seeing that he needed a gentle push, the detective crossed her arms and sternly looked into his blue eyes. "Answer as my assistant," she calmly nodded.

"Your assistant…?" The redhead paused at that before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. When he opened them again, he flashed the woman a smile and placed his hands on his hips. "Slowly but surely, I'll find a solution at lightning speed!"

"I have no idea what you just said…" Kyoko sighed but she still smirked at his answer as it seemed he managed to pull himself together. "But it was a very you response. Let's see what conclusion that response leads us to, shall we?"

"I understand…" Takumi nodded as he gently smiled at his boss.

"It'd do us no good to chase them too far now. Let's return to the agency," she said with a nod. "Some exquisite coffee is waiting for us."

"Eh…?" Takumi's face slightly fell. "I think Pete made a batch… Can we have that instead?" If anything, Pete's attempt to recreate Kyoko's coffee was nowhere near as bad as the genuine brew itself.

"That said, we won't have the time to savor it," she seriously mused.

* * *

 **Final Notes:** Still no Ultimates for Takumi yet. I was really slow in training my team... because I stubbornly raise them to their max level before evolving and devolving them. Gotta max that ABI... Sigh... Oh well, I think I give him access to Ultimates next chapter. This game really pushes that strength is better than being right... and Takumi is really starting to fall behind on that spectrum. I mean... he wasn't really much help to Nokia and it's here where she finally surpasses him. He might still be a bit better than Yuuko and Arata, but now he's gone and lost Arata to Suedou and Yuuko is of course doing her own thing without relying on our favorite Cyber Sleuth. Kyoko's return makes things better at least... Also... maybe it's because I recently played Persona 3 but yeah... I didn't really like the game's scene where Yamashina wanted his memories erased again. I'm pretty sure it's vague in the game whether or not Yuuko and Takumi did follow through with his request, but... if there really had been a choice, of course I'd personally say no.


	23. Parallel World

**Author's Notes:** So this chapter I think is the longest, and it's a bit sloppy... Mainly it's because of how it's set up... I could have split it into two or three chapters but it seemed like a waste since that would mean a filler chapter for only one red case. That said, "Yuuko and Yuugo" will be in the middle of this chapter. It's also a bit messy too because you're able to sequence break sort of... I chose the order which should make the most sense... At least... I think it makes the most sense... I don't know. Maybe we should have started with Shibuya first... Well, I'll think about editing it in the future, but it won't really change what happens much.

* * *

"Hmm… I see," Kyoko brought a hand up to her mouth as she took in Takumi's detailed summary of what happened during her absence. "So that happened as well. It must have been very rough."

Takumi stared at her in concern. "Kyoko-san… I'm glad you're alright," he softly smiled. "I was really worried…

"At least Kyoko-san came back," Pete happily jumped. "I'm so glad! It's just not the Kuremi Detective Agency without her!"

"It isn't," the teenager agreed. "But just what were you doing?" he asked the detective. "I know I shouldn't have been jumping to conclusions since I lacked information, but I was beginning to get scared you wouldn't return…"

Kyoko's expression softened as she noticed the strange hint of fear and loneliness on her assistant's gentle face. "Oh… I'm sorry I couldn't answer when you called," she apologized to him. "I've been tracking the Royal Knights as they appeared aboveground. It was harder than I'd expected." She paused for a moment to give Takumi time to let that sink in. After a few seconds, she smiled as the boy visibly relaxed as he lifted his gaze from the ground.

"Were you able to find them?" Takumi asked, although judging from his smile, it seemed he already knew the answer.

"After all the hard work," she smirked, "I was able to roughly pinpoint their positions. There are Royal Knights signals in four locations: Odaiba, Shibuya, Ueno, and EDEN. The clearest such signal is coming from Odaiba. Examon is there," she crossed her arms. "Examon has the most destructive power of all the Royal Knights, but he has been hindered due to being predated on and eroded by Eaters. The Defense Forces have Examon surrounded. I suggest we leave this to them for a little bit."

"Alright," Takumi nodded.

"The remaining signal in Shibuya is Magnamon. Gankoomon is in Ueno… and the one I detected in Eden is Sleipmon. Those are the only ones signaling right now. The rest are likely jamming their signals," she concluded. "Okay, then. You know what you have to do next?"

"Of course," Takumi nodded with a smile. "I'll recruit them like Omegamon suggested."

"Hmm…" Kyoko smiled at his answer. "What we need to do is to disrupt the Royal Knights' influence to the best of our ability."

"Right," Takumi nodded.

"Where possible, gain new friends, and…" she paused as she noticed there was something strange about her assistant.

"Right," the boy nodded again.

"What's the matter?" she asked. "You look a little spaced out. Are you okay?"

"Of course I am," Takumi nodded. "I'm just eager to get started."

"Hmm. That's fine," Kyoko smirked, "but turning chicken won't work."

"I know," he nodded before raising his fist to his chest.

"Okay, get some caffeine in you before you go," she told him. "I need to whip something up for myself anyway." Takumi watched as she worked her magic with the coffee maker. "Apologies for taking so long…" she said as she poured him a cup. "It's been a while, so go slowly."

"Cheers," Takumi stated as he raised his cup. They clinked their glasses before the boy managed to down the concoction without trouble. He gave his boss a grin and cheerfully laughed at his successful endeavor. "No problem."

"Have your taste buds developed since we met last?" Kyoko asked in surprise. "You're an adult if you can appreciate this coffee."

"Thanks, Kyoko-san," the redhead chuckled.

"Okay, it's time for work. No time for reunions; go talk to the Royal Knights," she nodded to him. "Make as many Royal Knights our allies as possible! I'm looking forward to seeing what you've learned," she smirked at her ever-improving assistant.

"Understood!" Takumi nodded before taking off. Once outside, he groaned at the stomachache that was beginning to settle in his abdomen. _As I thought… The practice coffee Pete and I brewed was no match at all to Kyoko-san's genuine blends._ He quickly searched for a garbage can to vomit into.

"Hey, are you okay?" a passerby man asked before letting out a disgusted groan. "Wh-what's that smell!?"

A woman screamed. "Some strange liquid is coming from your mouth!"

Kyoko chuckled at the commotion going on outside the agency. "We can't start properly without a little back-and-forth like this!" She smiled as she took a sip of coffee. "So?" she asked Pete as he finished lapping at his cup. "How was it?"

Pete chuckled as he savored the strange coffee's aroma. "It's a bit weird, but I like it!"

"No, I meant Takumi's health," the detective shook her head. "In his report, he mentioned his body is beginning to deconstruct but he didn't put down any details of what is exactly happening."

"Ah…" the Wanyamon frowned at her. "I don't think he's fully aware of his symptoms, but I think I can explain them to you."

"Please do, Pete," Kyoko nodded as she settled into her seat.

"Oh, boy… Where do I begin?" the worried Digimon sighed.

"If you can, start by telling me his eating habits and sleep pattern as well as abnormal changes to his personality. I suspect those will be the most obvious aspects about him affected," she said as she pensively took another sip. "I have to identify which of the changes were brought about by my absence and which are due to the growing instability of his mental data."

"You really do understand and care about Takumi," Pete smiled. "It's no wonder he trusts you so much. Alright, I want to help him, too! Here goes nothing…!"

* * *

Takumi looked around EDEN's free area as he sensed a powerful Digimon nearby. He suddenly turned when he noticed something red blur past him. He quickly tried to keep up with speeding mass before it suddenly charged straight towards him. His eyes widened when he identified the Digimon as a six-legged centaur-like creature. The Digimon didn't even give him the chance to speak as he pointed the bow on its left arm at the boy. "Bifröst!"

The Cyber Sleuth let out a surprised cry as his Digimon suddenly appeared to push him out of the way. Takumi gasped as the arrow fired at him just barely missed. If his Digimon had emerged even a millisecond later, the boy would have been skewered. Takumi looked up at the Royal Knight as his team tried to catch and subdue it, but even they could not keep up with the speedy Ultimate. "So this is Sleipmon's power," Takumi frowned as he tried to come up with a way to counter the Digimon's speed.

Rapidmon turned his head as he tried to use his radar to locate the enemy. "Homing Missile!" His revolver released multiple missiles, but failed to catch up to Sleipmon.

WereGarurumon (Black) tried to catch the Royal Knight and ride it but each attempt he made failed. Lilimon rose into the air too and tried to take aim with her Flower Cannon only to have Sleipmon appear before her and kick her down. "Lilimon!" Takumi tried to get to her but Sleipmon landed before him, rearing up on his hind legs to intimidate the boy. "Ah!" Takumi fell backwards and stared up at the Royal Knight towering over him.

"Weakling!" Sleipmon declared. "So slow! You'll never catch me!" he boastfully laughed. He jumped up as Takumi's Digimon tried to attack him from behind before galloping away.

"Everyone, that's enough!" Takumi called his team back. "I'll never get him to listen to me like this. What should I do?" His Digivice began to ring and the detective's assistant quickly answered. "Kyoko-san, I'm having a bit of a problem here with Sleipmon running around. Do you have any suggestions for me?"

"If this keeps up," Kyoko frowned, "Sleipmon won't listen at all. Come back to the agency," she told him. "Omegamon should have some ideas as to what to do."

"Understood," he nodded.

* * *

"I see…" Omegamon frowned and lowered his head on the call screen. "Sleipmon, a formidable foe. We can only try to match Sleipmon's speed with our own. The optimal choice would have to be UlforceV-dramon, with his incredible swiftness."

"Hmm…" Kyoko brought her hand up to her mouth. "Of course it would have to be UlforceV-dramon."

"UlforceV-dramon?" Takumi tilted his head to the side as he was unfamiliar with such a Digimon.

"Actually, UlforceV-dramon is the only one whose signal I haven't been able to detect anywhere," Kyoko stated.

"I can find no trace of him either," Omegamon shook his head. "It's likely the Dimensional Door closed as he was crossing between dimensions. He may be gone. It's unfortunate," he sighed. "He surely would have been an ally."

"Really?" Takumi sighed.

"It might be too early to give up on him," Kyoko said with a smile.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Takumi quickly straightened up.

"Have you heard of the theory of multidimensional space? Or, to put it in more plain terms, the idea of parallel worlds?" the detective asked him.

"Parallel… world?" the boy blinked.

She chuckled at his cluelessness. "The basic idea is that there are countless worlds overlapping one another, one for every different possibility." Takumi tilted his head to the side as he listened. "And so every time something happens in one world, a new reality branches off, containing the other possibility. Parallel worlds are independent from one another. It's not possible to interfere with them. Or so it's believed. There is a similar structure we know quite well."

"You mean your 'real' world and our Digital World?" Omegamon asked.

"Indeed!" Kyoko nodded. "They didn't intersect before, but now they do. It no longer seems to be the rule that the various worlds can't come into contact with each other."

"So then UlforceV-dramon could be brought over from a different parallel world," Omegamon mused. "Is that what you're saying?"

"Precisely," Kyoko crossed her arms. "Normally we'd never do this, but it's worth a try. I know someone who knows a thing or two. Her name is Mikagura Mirei. Fortunately, she also lives here in Nakano. Even so," she frowned, "If we verify this, the possibility arises that Eaters could come here from another world. From a parallel world."

"Eh?" Takumi blankly stared at her.

"No, it's just conjecture," Kyoko shook her head at him. "There are other, more important, things to do now. Go and talk to Mikagura Mirei. She should know something."

"Huh? What am I…?" Her assistant quickly shook his head as he quickly caught up to what was going on around him. "S-sorry. Um… Right. I understand," he nodded before leaving the agency.

Kyoko frowned as she watched him leave. She glanced at her screen to check the results of her Digivice's latest scan. "As I thought…" her frown deepened. "His data is showing signs of corrosion."

"What!?" Omegamon blinked at her in alarm. "If that's the case, perhaps Nokia should take his place—"

The detective shook her head. "Shiramine Nokia has her own role to fulfill. Besides, Takumi would never allow anyone to perform his duties and he's doing everything he can to keep this a secret from his friends. For this reason, I have to ask you withhold this from Nokia. Bringing this up will only distract us from what we have to do."

The white Royal Knight frowned to himself as he reluctantly agreed with the woman. "I see… But if his condition worsens, what will you do?"

"The same as I've always done," Kyoko crossed her arms and smirked. "I don't intend to lose my dear assistant so easily."

* * *

"You're late," Mirei smiled at the Cyber Sleuth as he entered the DigiLab. "I've been expecting you. If you're here, that means there's a problem."

"Well, there's actually a lot that's going on," Takumi seriously frowned. "This is just one of many problems."

"I shall divine what it is you seek. That's why you came, is it not?" Mirei asked.

"Kyoko-san said you'd be able to help us," the boy nodded.

Mirei pushed her glasses back and closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them again, she gave the teen a serious frown. "Worlds existing infinitely and in parallel. With something lost here appearing elsewhere. Yes… What you seek is in a different world," she nodded. "But as you know, it is no easy feat to cross the dimensions of time and space. You will need extraordinary skills. A Digimon must be born with special skills, the likes of which have never been seen before. Harmonious Will and Steel Will," she stated. "Using these two skills will surely create a Digimon who can go to parallel worlds."

"Really?" Takumi asked, his eyes widening.

The woman chuckled at him. "It's up to you whether you believe me or not."

"Where can I find the Harmonious Will and Steel Will then?"

"I'm sure you can find those on your own," Mirei knowingly smirked at the teen.

"I can…?" Takumi knit his eyebrows together in confusion.

"Of course you're worried…" Mirei frowned at him. "But for now, why not meet with the Royal Knights in Ueno and the Shibuya underground?" she suggested.

"Hmm?" the Cyber Sleuth paused. "Alright," he nodded. "I'll get going then."

* * *

Takumi stared at the station entrance and frowned when he sensed the expansive labyrinth beyond it. He was about to head towards it but he was immediately stopped by armored soldiers. "This area is restricted to Defense Force personnel," a man sternly told him. "Please, hurry home."

"Sorry…" Takumi quickly retreated back and studied the barricade of soldiers lined up. "Uh-oh, I don't want to get caught," he muttered to himself. "I guess I can't just walk on through… or can I?" he smirked before quickly activating his Stealth Hide.

The Cyber Sleuth watched as his body quickly became invisible and he silently slipped past the barricade. Once he was in the labyrinth he deactivated his cloaking shield before heading deeper into the half-digital subway station. He eventually reached a dead end before noticing he could step onto the tracks. With a gulp, he jumped down and started for the powerful mass of data that lay before him.

Takumi carefully slowed his pace as he approached the Digimon clad in golden armor. "Are you Magnamon?" the boy asked. "On behalf of Omegamon, I'd like to ask you for help in defending this world against Duftmon."

Magnamon turned to face the boy. "So you want me to help protect this world? I'm sorry, but I can't answer you just now," he shook his head.

"Why not?"

"In all honesty, I am still of two minds," the Digimon replied. "The destruction the Eaters unleashed on our world was caused by the cyberspace that humans created. Many Digimon believe that the reason such hideous things were born lies in the human heart. If that's true, humans are a threat to all worlds. Duftmon's course of action would therefore be correct. I then came here and found Digimon being used as tools by evil humans. But then there are those like you," Magnamon stared at Takumi's determined expression, "working to undo this situation. I really don't understand you humans," the golden warrior shook his head in confusion. "Which side truly embodies what humanity is about?"

Takumi lowered his gaze and stared at his body. "It's true there are selfish humans only working for their own gains, but I believe humans can overcome their weaknesses and right their wrongs! That's what it means to be human!"

"I had some companions, as well," Magnamon frowned. "When the two worlds were joined, I brought my tiny companions here to save them from the Eaters. Unfortunately, we were separated amongst all of the ensuing chaos. They are still young and frail," the Royal Knight worriedly stated. "They might have been captured by evil humans. If something happened to them, I will not forgive the human race. I will determine my position towards humanity based on their fate."

"You'll bet your decision on their fate…?" Takumi frowned at the Digimon's logic. "What if they really are in trouble!? You can't just—"

"Hang on! Time out!" a voice called out from behind the Cyber Sleuth.

"Eh?" the redhead turned around. "Nokia!?"

"Hang on, hang on, hang on!" the girl cried as she ran towards them. "WAIT!"

"What are you doing here?" Takumi asked her.

"Great! Just in the nick of time!" she smiled. "I went to the agency. Kyoko-san told me to come here!" She looked up at the golden-armored Digimon and approached him. "You're Magnamon, right? Boy, have I been looking for you!"

"You have?" the Digimon blinked at her.

"Look, guys!" she turned around and called out to the group of Digimon following her. "We finally found him!"

Lopmon happily jumped towards the Royal Knight. "Magnamon!" the bunny happily cried out.

Magnamon's eyes widened as he spotted Lopmon and Tokomon. "You're all here? And you're all right!?"

"Magnamon!" Lopmon cheerfully hugged him. "These humans—Nokia and the others—saved us!"

"Saved you?" Magnamon looked between Nokia and Takumi. "Humans did?"

Nokia let out a relieved sigh. "We finally found you! Way to go, Kyoko-san! Now we know where most of the Royal Knights are! We're all together now! Right, Omegamon?" she looked up at her partner.

"Omegamon!?" Magnamon looked up towards his comrade as the mantle-wearing Digimon arrived. "Omegamon? Are you working with the humans?"

"I am," Omegamon nodded. "Magnamon, you should understand why. It is an error to eliminate them as dangerous."

"But they caused the devastation of our world…"

"Nokia and the others know that now and they wish to help resolve the situation," Omegamon explained. "It is the humans who will give their all in the fight to save both Digimon and the human race. Duftmon believes that their destruction may well save all Digimon. Still, is it right to rush to this conclusion and wipe out those we might come to an understanding with? I do not agree," he shook his head.

"Magnamon!" Lopmon looked up at his hero. "We love Nokia! We were so happy that we could be with her!"

"While I had my head in the sand with worry, you all acted to save my companions," Magnamon lowered his gaze.

"When you act, 'Everything will work out'," Omegamon nodded. "A human taught me that… A human named Nokia."

"Omegamon, enough," Magnamon nodded in understanding. "The clouds of my confusion have parted. Even if it sullies the name of the Royal Knights, I must repay this debt I owe the humans! Nokia-san," he bowed, "let humans and Digimon join together. I will do whatever I can to help."

"Yeah!" Nokia nodded to him. "Thanks, Magnamon!"

"Do not be deceived!" a voice cried out.

Nokia screamed as the white draconic Royal Knight from before suddenly landed in front of her. Omegamon protectively shielded her from Dynasmon. "Nokia!"

"Failed to sense my approach, Omegamon?" Dynasmon frowned at the powerful Royal Knight. "Hmph! You fool."

"Dynasmon!" Magnamon frowned.

"Magnamon, lend not your ear to their sweet words!" Dynasmon turned to him. "Have you forgotten our clash with the Eaters attacking our world? Or the cries of our fallen comrades as the Eaters devoured them? Any chance of our joining hands with human beings faded the instant they created their cyberspace. You should stand with us!" Dynasmon declared. "In fealty to the will of Yggdrasil, as a Royal Knight!"

"If it's Yggdrasil's will that I should harm these youngsters, then…" Magnamon studied Nokia and Takumi, "I shall not act in fealty! I cannot ignore the debt I owe to those who saved my companions!" he cried out.

"I fail to comprehend this," Dynasmon shook his head. "Why would you side with these foolish humans?"

"There may indeed be fools among them," Magnamon stated, "but not all of them are like that! I would rather gamble on their brightness, for they saved my companions from their dilemma."

Takumi quickly pulled Nokia back as Dynasmon began charging with energy. "Nokia, get back!"

"Breath of Wyvern!" Dynasmon roared as he unleashed the energy in the form of a great wyvern towards them.

"Miracle Glitter!" Magnamon countered the attack by emitting a ray of burning light from his armor.

"Omegamon, protect Nokia and the Digimon!" Takumi called out to the Royal Knight. "Rapidmon, switch out! WereGarurumon (Black), Lilimon! Help Magnamon!"

"Full Moon Kick!" the dark werewolf howled.

"Flower Cannon!"

Magnamon swiftly backed away before forming multiple spheres of glowing plasma around him. "Plasma Shoot!" he cried before launching them at Dynasmon.

Dynasmon dodged a few of the orbs but winced as he couldn't avoid all of them. The palms of his hands glowed before he unleashed another attack. "Dragon's Roar!" Shots of energy flew out of his palms but his targets nimbly evaded them.

"Garuru Kick!" WereGarurumon (Black) quickly closed the distance between himself and the Royal Knight before knocking the sturdy Digimon back a bit.

Dynasmon swiped his arm at the werewolf, but his opponent suddenly leapt back. The Royal Knight's eyes widened when he saw Takumi's third Digimon ready. The Cyber Sleuth quickly signaled his team to attack. "Xros Combo!"

"Full Moon Kick!"

"Flower Cannon!"

MetalGreymon (Virus) roared as his chest plate opened. "Giga Destroyer!"

Magnamon's body glowed in a brilliant light as he joined them. "Extreme Jihad!"

Dynasmon collapsed to the ground but glared at Magnamon as he slowly got back up. "Hah! I stand at a disadvantage now! But I will return this debt to you without fail!"

"As you wish," Magnamon frowned, "My mind is made up on this matter."

Dynasmon shook his head before quickly taking off. Takumi frowned as he watched the Royal Knight disappear but Nokia gratefully rushed up to Magnamon. "Thanks, Magnamon!" she cried. "I can't tell you how happy I am to have a friend I can count on as much as you!"

"It is I who should thank you," Magnamon nodded to her. "You gave me the opportunity and I will always be your ally. Call me whenever you need me. Ah yes," he nodded. "As a sign of my cooperation, I shall offer you this."

Takumi blinked as he received a strange glowing crystal. "Huh…? This is…!" He smirked at the Harmonious Will he now carried. "Thanks, Magnamon!" He looked towards Nokia and nodded. "Magnamon, one of the Royal Knights, is now an ally. I'd better go report this to the office."

* * *

"I see," Kyoko nodded. "Magnamon has become an ally. He is a leader among the Knights. We have made a powerful friend."

"That's good," Takumi smiled. He paused for a moment before tilting his head to the side in confusion. "Ah… Kyoko-san… I've been meaning to ask…"

"Huh?" the detective smirked at what was probably on his mind. "How come I know so much about the Royal Knights?"

"Yeah," he nodded.

"Think about it," she told him. "I'm a detective. Of course I've investigated them."

"Eh?" Takumi blinked at her.

"Hmm," Kyoko brought her hand up to her mouth. "You want to know how? Well, that's…" she shook her head at him, "going to have to be a company secret for now." She chuckled at his unsatisfied frown. "I'm sure your questions will be answered."

"Will they?" Takumi crossed his arms and closed his eyes. He paused when he sensed something strange about Kyoko. He quickly opened his eyes to look at her but his vision blurred. "Ah…" he held out his arm to catch himself on her desk before he fell.

"Takumi?" Kyoko frowned at him.

"Sorry," he smiled. "I just lost my balance, that's all." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Just the detective's reassuring presence was enough to make him feel better so he nodded before opening his eyes again. "Alright, I'm off to Ueno now."

"Have a safe trip," the detective crossed her arms as she watched him leave. "So even his senses have been dampened…" she frowned to herself.

* * *

Takumi blinked when he saw a tough-looking Digimon wearing a white jacket as a cape yelling at a four-legged Digimon with a trailing red hooded cape. "This is no good! Keep it up and the Royal Knights may as well be nothing more than a dream!"

"Uh…" the training Digimon nodded. "Yes, master!"

"Put more oomph into it! Yeahhh! Tighten up!" his master shouted. "You'll never follow in my footsteps that way!"

"I will!" the smaller Digimon cried. "I'll get stronger… be a Royal Knight… Follow in Gankoomon's… my master's footsteps!" He panted as he tried to replicate his master's attack before collapsing to the ground.

"You seem concerned about something, Hackmon," Gankoomon noticed. "Are you distracted?"

"I am uneasy," Hackmon frowned. "Is this really working for me?" He looked down at his body. "No matter how much I train, I feel like I'm missing… well, something."

"Oh-ho…" Gankoomon chuckled. "Whatever could that be? That 'something'?"

"I don't know," his apprentice shook his head. "I just get that feeling! I'm sure I'm lacking something…"

"Hackmon…" Gankoomon frowned at the Digimon before lifting his gaze towards the red-haired boy who had been watching them for a while now. "And who might you be?"

"Aiba Takumi," the Cyber Sleuth introduced himself with a polite bow. "I'm here on Omegamon's behalf to ask you, a Royal Knight, to help us defend this world."

"I see…" Gankoomon nodded. "You want my help to protect this world? You are out to convince as many Royal Knights as you can to stop Duftmon from ending this world."

"That's right," Takumi nodded.

"You show admirable confidence!" Gankoomon suddenly exclaimed. "Some humans do indeed have a fighting spirit!"

"Eh?" Takumi blinked at him in confusion before smiling at the Royal Knight. "Does that mean you'll join us?"

"And yet, I must decline!" the Digimon yelled.

"Eh!?" the redhead frowned. "Why not!?"

"I have no interest in your quarrel with Digimon," Gankoomon looked away from the boy. "My only thought is on how to quickly build Hackmon from a disciple into a proper Royal Knight," he said, nodding to his apprentice. "I don't care who's in charge, humans or Digimon!"

"Is that so?" Takumi sighed.

"And yet…" Gankoomon studied the Cyber Sleuth intently. "I will help you if you will accede to my request."

"What is it?"

"Join me in training my disciple, Hackmon."

"What!?" Hackmon's eyes widened. "You want to have a human train me!? I've never trained with anyone but you, master!" Gankoomon crossed his arms. "Master…" the small Digimon frowned. "Why are you handing me over to a human? Is it that I'm so weak? Have I betrayed your expectations of me?" When his master didn't reply, Hackmon shook his head. "Really!? Master… Master! Master!"

"Nooooo!" Gankoomon roared at his pupil before punching the small Digimon away. As he was launched into a lamppost, Hackmon let out a painful cry. "Hackmon, the 'something' you spoke of may well be found with this person. Do not return to me until you find it!"

Hackmon picked himself up from the ground. "Oh… Master…"

"Train well!" Gankoomon nodded to him. "Together, the two of you must defeat BanchoLeomon! In doing so, you may as well find your 'something' that you seek."

"But… with my power…" Hackmon frowned. "I could never beat BanchoLeomon!"

"Very well," his master looked away from him. "Then you shall remain weak." Without another word, Gankoomon turned around and ran from the small Digimon.

"Master…" Hackmon made to chase after him but stopped before looking down at himself. "I'll always be weak. I've disappointed my master."

Takumi sympathetically smiled as he approached Hackmon. He reached out his hand for the Digimon. "Hey, it's going to be—"

"There's no way I'll ask you for your help!" Hackmon glared at him as he jumped away from the human. "I'll take down BanchoLeomon on my own! And then my master will believe in me again! So don't you dare follow me!"

"Ah! Hackmon!" Takumi watched as the small Digimon took off without him. The blue-eyed boy seriously frowned to himself. "I should follow him for the time being." He kept his distance and spotted Hackmon running into a museum undergoing a Digital Shift. "I made a promise to Gankoomon," Takumi stated, bringing his hand up to his mouth. "That means I should follow him, right?" He started up the ramp leading inside, but a police officer quickly barred his way.

"This is no place for you!" the adult snapped. "The whole area's restricted. Go on, get!"

"S-sorry!" Takumi quickly retreated before hiding behind a bush. He frowned as he quickly activated his Stealth Hide. He carefully snuck past the guard and entered the building before taking a look around. "Hackmon's not around here," Takumi noted. He frowned as he couldn't really get a good reading on where the Digimon disappeared to. "I'll head further in and see if he's there."

* * *

Takumi's eyes widened as he spotted Hackmon get knocked back by a powerful lion-man Digimon. "Hackmon!"

Hackmon struggled to rise but fell. "I knew I couldn't win," he muttered to himself. "Not yet. I'm so sorry, master."

"What's this?" BanchoLeomon frowned at the Digimon's defeatist attitude. "Is that the limit of your power? Have you lost the will to stand up again, too?"

"I knew there was no way I could ever become a Royal Knight," Hackmon frowned.

"You've grown reckless in your quest for strength," BanchoLeomon lectured him. "That is no mistake, but you'll never become a real man that way. A real man needs real preparedness. Do you have it?"

"Preparedness…" Hackmon pondered it for a moment. "I don't know," he shook his head.

"Then you battle ends here. I shall bring your training to a conclusion!" BanchoLeomon let out a roar before charging in for the kill, but a sudden rush of three Digimon blocked him from doing so. He looked up at the boy who had suddenly jumped in front of Hackmon, protecting him. "Who the hell are you!?"

"I'm Aiba Takumi and I'm here to help Hackmon!" Takumi unflinchingly stated to the larger Digimon.

"You…" Hackmon frowned at the boy. "I told you not to follow me, didn't I? There's nothing more to do. It's over," he stated, hanging his head.

"Not yet!" Takumi shook his head. "What makes you think it is?"

"Why?" the small Digimon looked up at Takumi. "Because my master said so. There's no need for any of this!"

"Hackmon…" BanchoLeomon frowned at the Child Digimon. "Looking at Takumi's back, do you still not understand?"

"Back?" Hackmon stared at the yellow 'X' on the back of Takumi's shirt as the boy protectively stood between the two Digimon. "To protect one's… back…"

Hackmon closed his eyes as he remembered Gankoomon saying something to him once. _"Hackmon… The Royal Knights appellation is not granted to you by someone. You are first called a 'Royal Knight' when you protect the world. Become a protector, Hackmon,"_ his master had told him, _"Of the world, of the Digital World, of your friends! That will of steel will lead you to the path of Royal Knighthood!"_

The Digimon's eyes snapped open as he got to his feet. "I see… I was only training to become stronger. But that was wrong!" he realized. "The meaning behind fighting… The important thing… That's what it was! I will fight! To protect the person who supports me!" He quickly rushed forward to stand at Takumi's side.

"Oh-ho," BanchoLeomon smirked at the sudden change within the small Digimon. "You appear to have shaped up somewhat. I'll see how prepared you are now! Come at me with everything you've got!"

"Let's go, Takumi!" Hackmon nodded to the human.

"Right!" Takumi cried out as he sent his team forward.

"Show me your strength!" BanchoLeomon roared as he charged towards them. "Lion King Advance!" He brought his short sword up to slash at his opponents, but Knightmon lifted his own blade up to block it.

Hackmon climbed up the large knight's stature and pounced on BanchoLeomon with his sharp claws out. "Fif Slash!"

Knightmon quickly pushed himself away from BanchoLeomon as Rapidmon and Lilimon circled the bancho. Rapidmon grabbed Hackmon for a tactical retreat before aiming his arm at the lion man. "Rapid Fire!"

"Flower Cannon!"

"Baby Flame!" Hackmon spewed fire from his mouth to support the other two Digimon.

"It's hot!" BanchoLeomon cried out as he charged his fist with energy. He suddenly released it with a powerful punch, aiming it at Rapidmon and Hackmon. "Flash Bancho Punch!"

"Knightmon!" Takumi quickly called out to the sturdy Digimon to block the attack with his shield. BanchoLeomon smirked as the Digimon surrounded him. "Xros Combo!"

"Berserk Sword!"

"Flower Cannon!"

"Golden Triangle!"

Hackmon's tail began to rotate before he thrust it into the powerful Ultimate Digimon. "Teen Ram!"

BanchoLeomon let out a dramatic cry as he fell onto his back. He flashed Takumi and Hackmon a proud smirk. "Your preparedness was excellent… I'll give that a passing grade…" he gasped as he tried to rise, before slamming back down to the ground, falling unconscious.

"I beat… BanchoLeomon?" Hackmon blinked in disbelief. "Me!?"

"This is because you've become a protector," a tough-sounding voice told him from behind.

Takumi and Hackmon turned around to see Gankoomon approaching them. The ecstatic Small Dragon Digimon ran towards him. "M-master!"

"You have become stronger by training with me," Gankoomon nodded, "But that alone is not enough to be a Royal Knight. Only when one has both the power and volition to protect what is dear does the path to true Royal Knighthood open. There is nothing more you can gain by simply training with me."

"And that is why you have placed me in this person's care, yes, master?" Hackmon asked, gratefully smiling to Takumi.

"Indeed," Gankoomon nodded in approval. "Well worth the time."

Hackmon nodded at that but his body began to glow in a bright light. He looked down at his body in confusion but soon his shape began to change. What used to be a small dragon became a skeletal warrior with blades extending from each limb. "Wh-what's this?" the new Digimon asked. "My body is…"

"Tis the birth of a new Royal Knight," Gankoomon declared, "Jesmon! Follow in my footsteps, in your new form."

"Yes!" Jesmon nodded. "I shall try!"

"Do or do not, Jesmon," his former master told him. "There is no try."

"Yes! Thank you very much, my master!"

"You deserve much of the credit as well," Gankoomon told Takumi. "Take this, along with my thanks." He handed Takumi a strange glowing crystal before studying Jesmon's new form. "From here on, my disciple's power shall be yours. He'll be a truer friend than I, perhaps."

"I'm at your service, Takumi!" Jesmon nodded.

Takumi blinked as the Digimon suddenly loaded himself into his Digivice. "Jesmon!" he smiled at the new addition to his team, "a new Royal Knight and a great ally! I'd better go to the agency and report to Kyoko-san." The Cyber Sleuth quickly took off.

"They're gone," Gankoomon stated before turning to face the fallen BanchoLeomon. "Thank you very much, my friend."

BanchoLeomon chuckled as he got back up to his feet. "I came that close to being annihilated!"

"I am grateful for your assistance," Gankoomon nodded to him. "Let me thank you once more."

"Don't sound so reserved!" BanchoLeomon smirked at him. "I'm happy because Hackmon was able to start a new life as a real man! He really did get stronger, didn't he?"

"He will get even stronger still," the proud Royal Knight nodded. "He has to. He is my disciple, after all."

"Then I should sign up for training with you!" the lion man considered. "I'd like to get even stronger still!"

Gankoomon laughed at his proposal. "As you wish!" The two nodded to each other before in understanding before beginning their sparring match.

* * *

"I see," Kyoko brought her hand up to hide her smile. "So a new Royal Knight has been born."

"Is that strange?" Takumi asked her.

"No, I'm not surprised," the detective shook her head and smirked at him. "The world constantly sees these sorts of updates happening again and again. It's true in the real world and the Digital World. You, too, may someday surpass me. I look forward to that day."

"Can I really?" Takumi smiled at her.

"I believe you can," the woman honestly told him with a nod. "No one else can come close, so don't recklessly overdo it if you can help it, understand?"

The Cyber Sleuth paused as he noticed an edge of seriousness and concern in her tone. "Kyoko-san…?" She said nothing as she continued to stare at him with a small smirk on her face. Takumi wryly smiled back and nodded to her in response. "I understand."

* * *

"You got it?" Mirei curiously looked up as Takumi returned with both the Harmonious Will and Steel Will. The Cyber Sleuth nodded to her as he handed both crystals over. "Summoning the special Digimon will take some time. Why not head back to the office?" she suggested. "It's been a while, so I'm sure there are cases waiting."

"Alright," Takumi nodded. He turned to leave but stopped when the woman stood from her seat. "Is there something else?" he asked.

"I've been asked to develop a patch for you," she told him. "It would be a shame if you were to be lost before your destined time comes, so hold still for a moment."

"Huh? Kyoko-san asked…?" Takumi blinked as his entire body began to tingle as it normally did whenever Mirei was altering his data. He frowned to himself as he should have expected the detective to come up with a request like this for him. "She's always saving me, and yet… all I do is make her worry. How does she even know what parts of my data is damaged when I don't?"

"How lucky for you that your fates are intertwined with each other," Mirei told him. "For her to know you so well is a part of destiny, but there are still parts to you that even she cannot predict. That is what makes you an irreplaceable irregular to her. Perhaps it was your existence that called her here too," the woman chuckled. "You have done well thus far honing your power to responding to the calls of others and connecting to them. Soon, I'm sure you'll be able to call to others to your side whenever you need them."

Takumi nodded as Mirei finished applying the patch. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, noticing his focus was a bit better than before. "Thanks, Mirei-san."

"Don't thank me, but rather the detective who is able to answer your calls," Mirei told him. "There is much you still need to do, so get to it, Cyber Sleuth."

* * *

"Oh! Takumi!" Ryota smiled as he spotted his red-haired friend returning to the agency. He blinked at the raven-haired girl walking down the hall and playfully elbowed the Cyber Sleuth. "Who was that? Were you on a date?"

"Lunch break," Takumi smiled. "Yuuko wanted to show me a good Italian takoyaki place," he said, patting his full stomach. "It was truly delicious…"

"You and your stomach…" Ryota frowned at him.

Takumi laughed at that. "So how are things going with Sakura? She told me about what happened after she was discharged."

"What did she actually say?" his friend nervously asked.

"Nothing much," Takumi blinked at him. "You handed her a bouquet of roses, shouted something like 'These are my feelings!', and ran away. She had no idea what it was you were trying to convey though."

The brunet tensed up at that. "Man…" he crossed his arms and frowned to himself. "Even after all that, she doesn't get how I feel… But with all this crazy stuff happening outside… I don't really know what's going on, but you better believe I'll protect Sakura!" Ryota stated with a determined nod.

"Good for you," Takumi smiled at him. "By the way, what are you doing outside the agency, Ryota?"

"I heard there have been more sightings of the 'Pale Boy'!" his eyes glowed. "If that's true, it could be a good chance to take a few photos!"

"Don't tell me you submitted another case for me to help you," Takumi crookedly chuckled.

"Nah," the brunet shook his head. "I just wanted to ask Kyoko-san of the common locations around Cron where the Pale Boy might show up. Well, I'm off to get more photos!"

Takumi watched his friend run off before bringing a hand up to his mouth. "It's been a while since I've visited EDEN myself… I wonder what the latest news amongst the hackers is…"

* * *

Takumi looked around Galacta Park before noticing a pair of hackers talking about Under Zero. "Hey, did you hear? Zaxon challenged Under Zero! It was pretty amazing! Capturing the Under Zero fortress was hard enough, but it seems that there was a battle with another team on top of that… The recently founded Rebellions and the veteran Judes appeared as well and it turned into a three-way brawl! From what I hear, Zaxon was driven to defeat but their leader Yuugo barely made it out alive. Some guy told me the other day that he saw him on Cron's first level," the boy crossed his arms. "There's a rumor going around that Yuugo is actually a ghost, like some kind of 'immortal hacker'. He just keeps coming back to life!"

The other hacker laughed at that. "But, I mean, come on," she smirked. "All this talk recently is stupid! It's an avatar! It can't be alive or dead! Yuugo is the one who introduced Digimon programs to hacking, so he's a kind of a living legend. There are lots of rumors about him."

"I thought Yuuko stopped using that avatar," Takumi muttered to himself. He absently brought his hand up to his Digivice when he sensed an incoming call. "Kyoko-san?"

"Are you okay now?" she asked, a bit surprised his response time was getting better. "What are you doing? Where are you?"

"I'm fine, Kyoko-san," Takumi nodded. "The patch Mirei-san designed seems to be working. Right now, I'm checking out Cron. There are a lot of rumors going on about Yuugo being a legendary ghost of a hacker."

"What?" she blinked at him, slightly intrigued. "A living legend? An immortal hacker raised from the dead? Hmm…" she smirked. "These rumors about Yuugo are really starting to get out of hand…" She crossed her arms. "Of course, I'm sure you're not foolish enough to believe any of them…"

"I'm still under the mindset that ghosts don't exist in cyberspace," Takumi shrugged. "But a cyber ghost case, huh?" he chuckled. "It's been a while since I've taken on one of those."

"Anyway," she chuckled, "we have a new case from the legendary man himself, so please come back to the office."

"Hmm?" Takumi blinked. "Yuuko just submitted a request? But we were just… Why didn't she…?" he shook his head. "Alright, I'm on my way."

* * *

 _Client: Kamishiro Yuuko_

 _Place: Central Hospital_

 _Details: I want to discuss the details in person. It's about Yuugo. I'll be waiting in my brother's hospital room._

Takumi held up the case request note to the nurse at the front counter. "Excuse me, but can you help me?"

"Hey, you're Yuuko's friend, right?" the nurse asked, looking up at the Cyber Sleuth.

The redhead nodded. "I'm here to visit Yuugo in the Special Ward per Yuuko's request."

"Huh? Yuugo's room?" the woman frowned. "We can't just let anyone go in there, you know."

"But Yuuko said…"

"Okay, tell you what," the nurse said, looking around the lobby carefully. "I didn't see you or anyone else, so just go ahead. It'll be our secret."

"Thank you," Takumi gratefully nodded to her.

* * *

Yuuko stood up from the stool as soon as Takumi came in. "Thank you for taking the case," she smiled at him.

"What's this about Yuugo?" Takumi asked her.

"To be honest…" she frowned, "I'm thinking of just deleting my 'Yuugo' avatar…"

"Eh!?" Takumi's eyes widened in surprise.

"If I do, Zaxon will fall apart and there won't be any such hacker as 'Yuugo' anymore…" she explained. "I've been thinking of doing this ever since the Under Zero incident happened…"

"Yuuko…" the Cyber Sleuth frowned.

"The Yuugo avatar is something I received from Rie-san… Yuugo is a special avatar. It allows you to pass through the system even if you have the wrong personal information. Rie-san told me…" Yuuko said with a nod, "whenever I was using the Yuugo avatar, I really and truly became 'Yuugo'… I was being subconsciously manipulated by using the Yuugo avatar. I just became a puppet that controlled the hackers whenever it was convenient for Rie-san. I was being controlled by Rie-san's wishes and was unable to defeat my enemies… so I have decided to destroy the avatar."

Takumi frowned and placed his hands on his hips before looking over at the real Yuugo asleep on the bed. "But if you do that… What about your brother? It's technically his account, isn't it?"

Yuuko lowered her gaze. "Yes, as you said, even though Rie-san has a connection to the avatar, it belongs to my older brother Yuugo… Deleting it will be heartbreaking. I would at least like someone to be there to witness it…"

"Huh…?" Takumi stared at the girl in surprise.

The raven-haired teen carefully looked into Takumi's blue eyes. "Could you please be there to witness the last moments of 'Yuugo of Zaxon'…? That's my case for you."

The Cyber Sleuth remained silent for a while as he considered his answer. Soon, he wore a wry smile. "Alright, Yuuko," he nodded. "I think it's good that you're trying to overcome yourself. It's time you stood up on your own, without relying on Yuugo's strength."

"Thank you," the girl gratefully smiled. She pulled up a monitor from her Digivice and began typing. When she was ready, she took a deep breath. "When I push this button, the avatar 'Yuugo' will be deleted…"

"Whenever you're ready," Takumi nodded to her.

Yuuko frowned as she lightly rested her hand over the button. "Good bye," she whispered before confirming her decision to delete the avatar. Her eyes widened in surprise when nothing happened. "What? The avatar can't be deleted!?" She quickly pulled up a monitor again to check what was wrong. "And why can't I delete the account while I'm logged in!?"

Takumi thought back to the rumors he had heard earlier. "While I was in Cron, I heard some people talking about how they had occasionally seen Yuugo in EDEN. I don't suppose that was you, was it?"

"Huh? There are people who saw Yuugo in EDEN…?" Yuuko asked. "I haven't been using the Yuugo avatar since the Under Zero incident…" She knit her eyebrows together and brought her hand up to her mouth as she wondered what was going on. "Has someone hacked the account? But there's no evidence of hacking!"

Takumi placed his hands on his hips as he sensed a strange wave from Yuuko's Digivice. He could actually sense Yuugo's avatar and the redhead felt it resonating with him. "Yuugo…?"

Yuuko closed her eyes as she contemplated what to do. She soon looked towards Takumi as he was blankly staring at her Digivice. "Takumi, I'm changing the goal of the case… We need to go find the one responsible for hacking the Yuugo account! To think that someone would steal my brother's account when we were going to delete it… it's just awful. Even now there is someone else walking around EDEN, pretending to be my brother!" She tried to temper her anger by taking a deep breath. "I have to stay calm and get it back… I can't allow this to go on! I don't care how much it costs or how long it takes…! It won't be easy, but in this case I guess I'll overlook any illegal acts you need to carry out…"

"Huh?" Takumi frowned at her. "Illegal…?"

"Go and have a look around in EDEN," Yuuko instructed him, "and bring me back the criminal who did this! I will of course search as well!" she nodded.

"You are!?" the Cyber Sleuth's blue eyes widened. "But you don't have Digimon! And Mugendramon is linked to Yuugo's account, isn't he?"

"Huh?" Yuuko blinked at his concern. "Isn't it dangerous to go without Digimon?" She glared at him. "Don't make fun of me! I've prepared the sub Digimon for my 'Kamishiro Yuuko' account. I don't have anyone quite at the level of a Perfect RizeGreymon or Ultimate Mugendramon, but I'll be okay." She shook her head at him before looking up the whereabouts of the currently active Yuugo account. "The eyewitness account said he was on Cron's first level, right? Let's split up and search!" She quickly pushed Takumi aside as she left her brother's hospital room. "I'll go on ahead."

Takumi watched her leave and frowned at her change in demeanor. He shook his head and brought his hand up to his chin. "It's not like her to be so agitated, but I guess this is technically her brother we're talking about." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "But… I felt it… Yuugo was calling out to me… Sort of…" He opened his eyes and shook his head. "Anyway, let's go to Cron's first level."

On his way down to the lobby, Takumi quickly answered an incoming call. "Yuuko has contacted me to tell me the case has changed," Kyoko stated. "First it's the rumors that got out of hand, now it's the avatar… I tried looking for it, but Yuugo's account has a thick firewall and I couldn't access it from the outside…" Kyoko brought a hand up to her mouth. "It looks like we'll have to search on foot… Please go and ask around about Yuugo's whereabouts in Cron," she directed her assistant.

"Just leave it to me, Kyoko-san," Takumi nodded. "I'll find him."

"Still…" the woman brought her index finger to her forehead, "I don't know who it is, but anyone capable of hacking into an account with a firewall that thick must be a genius hacker!"

"Something tells me this isn't a simple account hacking," he frowned as he tried to recall Yuugo's avatar signature. "I don't know how to explain it, but I feel a certain… kinship with his avatar…" He shook his head. "Anyway, I'm heading to Cron now. I'll let you know if anything else comes up," he told the detective before hanging up.

* * *

"Oho, you want to know about 'Yuugo', do you?" a dashing Zaxon hacker smirked at the Cyber Sleuth. "I've seen him, you know! With these two eyes! It was a long time ago, down on Cron's second level."

Takumi turned towards the lift leading to the next level. "Alright, thanks!"

"Actually," the hacker chuckled, "I feel like I might even see him again today. 'Cause today's just that lucky! 'A day you see Yuugo can't be beat!' That phrase is my lucky charm," he laughed.

Takumi simply ignored him as he started for the next area. He looked around Cron's second level before he spotted Yuuko frowning as she tried to approach a Zaxon hacker. The boy wearing the green hooded vest frowned at her. "What the hell!?" he asked. "Well… say something already! You're freaking me out here!" When Yuuko still remained silent, the boy ended up walking away.

"Yuuko!" Takumi caught up to her side and worriedly examined her. "Are you okay?"

"I know a hacker from Zaxon, so I went to talk to him, but…" she frowned as she looked down at herself. "I'm not used to this avatar yet… It's hard to speak properly… and I don't look right, which is weirding me out."

"But you were Yuugo, weren't you? It can't be that different," Takumi stated.

"Of course," she nodded. "Yuugo and I are… one and the same. Well…" she paused for a moment, "we are and we aren't."

"Is that so?" Takumi asked, bringing his hand up to his chin. "Well, talking to you _is_ a bit different from talking to Yuugo. The resonance I have with Yuugo is… stronger somehow…"

Yuuko oddly frowned at him before her Digivice began to ring. She looked down at it and her eyes widened in surprise. "This…" She glared at the address. "It's an e-mail from 'Yuugo'! If this is from the person who hacked the account… what do you think he's planning?"

Takumi doubtfully frowned at the notion someone was using Yuugo's account for nefarious ends but didn't voice his thoughts as he still didn't have enough information to work with. "What does the message say?"

"Let's see… 'I am waiting for you in the place I was born'. An Avalon Server URL is attached to the message," Yuuko blinked in surprise.

"Where he was born…?" Takumi asked as he placed his hands on his hips.

"Avalon Server?" Yuuko brought her hand up to her mouth. "That's where Rie-san asked me to be the leader of Zaxon… That's when I first became 'Yuugo'. It's the place where Yuugo was 'born'. But… the only ones who know that are myself and Rie-san…" She seriously looked towards the Cyber Sleuth as he was beginning to stare at her Digivice again. "Takumi, this is probably a trap. We should go together."

"Sure," Takumi nodded with a smile on his face.

"Thank you," Yuuko gratefully smiled back as she realized she was always asking him to help her with something and he always said yes. She quickly shook her head to clear such thoughts though. "Anyway, let's go!"

* * *

"We finally found you," Yuuko glared at the back of the familiar avatar. "Who are you?" she demanded to know.

Yuugo turned around and frowned at her, as though he were disappointed she didn't know who he was. "I am 'Yuugo', leader of Zaxon," he simply replied. His eyes darted towards Takumi as the Cyber Sleuth tilted his head to the side in understanding of what was going on. The avatar gave him a small smile, but quickly returned his gaze on the raven-haired girl glaring at him.

"Stop kidding around!" Yuuko shouted. "You give that avatar back right this minute!"

"Is this avatar important to you, Yuuko?" the light-haired boy asked.

"You… you know my name?" Yuuko stared at him in surprise.

"Of course, I am 'Yuugo'," he nodded as he noticed Takumi had brought his hand up to his chin. "Isn't this the avatar you have been using in EDEN for so many years? It seems that you think this account has been hacked but… that's not true. No one is logged in as me."

"Don't lie to me!" Yuuko snapped back. "Nobody has logged in!"

"Indeed, it's just as you say," the boy nodded. "But this is an account that was created by Kishibe Rie with its own AI, in order to manipulate you," he told Yuuko. "Yuugo, the 'ideal hacker' who was designed to unify all the hackers of EDEN… That is who I am."

Yuuko blinked at him in disbelief. "You… you're an AI… that was built into my avatar? You're a program?"

"It's as I thought," Takumi finally spoke up. "You're your own personality, Yuugo," the Cyber Sleuth softly smiled.

"Exactly," Yuugo nodded, placing a hand on his hip. "Even though you're a quiet and reserved person, you were able to be Yuugo. I am the reason that was possible… Do you understand now?" he asked Yuuko.

"But…" Yuuko frowned.

"You and I have been partners all these years… And yet…" Yuugo sadly frowned at her, "why would you try to erase me?" Yuuko averted her gaze as she couldn't really bring herself to answer him. "Anyway, without me you can never be Yuugo, right? Yet you still want to delete me? You became me in order to protect EDEN, didn't you?"

"Yes, I did," Yuuko answered as she looked down at the floor. "I was alone and powerless. I didn't think I could protect EDEN, so I accepted Rie-san's invitation. My brother, who I respected more than anyone, protects the EDEN our father created. The avatar looks just like my brother, so it has always felt just like we were together…"

"I see…" Yuugo nodded. "Okay, from now on, let's protect EDEN together!" He held out his hand towards her, in the hopes she would accept it.

Yuuko stared at his outstretched arm and shook her head. "I have nothing but contempt for Rie-san." The boy knit his eyebrows together in confusion. "You are without question the best brother anyone could ask for," Yuuko stated. "It's for that very reason that I felt comfortable, terrible as I am. Because of that, I was manipulated by Rie-san and in the end, I threw my father's EDEN into chaos. I won't allow myself to depend on you anymore!" she declared. "Today… I will delete you!"

"You can't delete me!" Yuugo exclaimed. "I was created to protect EDEN!" A sad expression washed over his face as he looked around them. "EDEN is the only place I can exist," he stated.

"I thought so too, but…" Yuuko looked back at the Cyber Sleuth standing at her side, "there are certainly places outside of EDEN where we can live!"

"Maybe that's true for you, but…" Yuugo brought a hand up to his forehead, "I am a program," he reminded her. "I cannot live anywhere else." Yuuko said nothing as she gazed at him with a determined frown. "But I understand now…" the boy sighed. "You and I… we're different people." He straightened up as he summoned a Digimon behind him.

"Mu… Mugendramon…!" Yuuko gasped in surprise. "Why? You're my Digimon!"

"Mugendramon and I fight together," Yuugo nodded to his loyal Digimon. "It seems he still sees me as 'Yuugo'. RizeGreymon…" he frowned as the Perfect sided with Yuuko. "It seems he's chosen you. But, can you beat me, I wonder?" he asked bringing a hand up to his mouth. "Without me, you can't talk to your companions…" Yuuko tensed up as she remembered how she couldn't even speak with the earlier Zaxon hacker. "Please, don't misunderstand," Yuugo softly said. "I don't want to hurt you, but… I just don't want to be deleted."

"Wait!" Takumi quickly pulled Yuuko behind him as Mugendramon prepared to fight.

"Takumi!" Yuuko was surprised by the Cyber Sleuth's actions.

Takumi sadly frowned at them both. "I know how you feel, Yuugo… I have this body, after all… I don't want to fight you under these circumstances," he shook his head, "but please understand me when I say I believe in Yuuko's strength. I'll see to it that she surpasses you, Yuugo."

"I see…" Yuugo studied the blue-eyed boy's determined expression. He nodded as he understood Takumi's position. "So you've made your choice, despite the resonance we share."

"I'm sorry…" the Cyber Sleuth wryly smiled, "but this is all I can do to help the both of you…"

"The both of us? You never change…" Yuugo sighed at Takumi's soft-heartedness before returning his attention to Yuuko. "How we think, where we live, our Digimon, our friends… We are completely different. The only way to decide this is with a battle," he concluded, placing his hand on his hip. "We are proud hackers of EDEN, are we not?" he asked both humans.

Yuuko nodded. "That's what I want!" she stated. "I… I've decided to split myself in two!"

"Yuuko?" Takumi stared at her in surprise as that wasn't really what he had been trying to convey, but before he could stop her, Mugendramon charged up his cannons.

"Now… let's begin," Yuugo nodded as Mugendramon fired at them.

Yuuko didn't flinch as RizeGreymon took the attack. "RizeGreymon! Trident Revolver!" The cyborg dinosaur lifted his revolver and fired three shots in quick succession at Mugendramon.

Takumi quickly backed away from the battle as his Digimon rushed forward to help. "Lilimon, switch out! Rapidmon, Andromon! Keep your distance!"

"Mugendramon, logon to RizeGreymon," Yuugo coolly ordered.

"Mugen Cannon!" the robotic dragon roared.

"Golden Triangle!" Rapidmon's beam managed to divert Mugendramon just enough so its attack wasn't a direct hit on the flying RizeGreymon.

"Spiral Sword!" Andromon swung his spinning hand in an arc to shoot a blade of energy at the Ultimate.

"Booster Claw!" Mugendramon violently slashed at both of Takumi's Digimon, knocking them aside. The powerful Ultimate quickly turned to face RizeGreymon as the two former comrades exchanged fire with each other.

Takumi frowned as he quickly dug through his bag for recovery items. He shook his head though when Monzaemon finished loading. "Quick! Use your Hug of Love!" The large bear wrapped his arms around Andromon and Rapidmon, healing them before the three Vaccines returned to the battle.

Yuuko frowned as she was struggling to keep up with Yuugo's attacks. "Use your Solid Strike attack!" RizeGreymon roared as he slammed his revolver against Mugendramon's head.

"Rising Destroyer!" RizeGreymon's gun ports on his chest opened before beams fired from them and his wings.

Yuugo kept his calm as he had Mugendramon target Yuuko's Digimon again. "Logon," he nodded. "And begin charging your Catastrophe D." Mugendramon's eyes lit up as he obeyed his hacker.

Yuuko tensed up as she knew how devastating that attack could be. "RizeGreymon! Do whatever it takes to defeat Mugendramon!"

"Yuuko!" Takumi frowned at her reckless order. He shook his head before turning to his team. "Go help her, but be sure to guard against the missiles!"

"RizeGreymon!" the raven-haired teen called out to her Digimon to not let up on his assault.

"Catastrophe D!" Mugendramon roared as he unleashed all of his missiles.

"Rising Destroyer!" RizeGreymon tried to counter the attack as the two of them were engulfed by the resulting explosion.

When the smoke cleared, Yuuko gasped as her Digimon collapsed to a knee. "RizeGreymon!"

Yuugo shook his head at her. "It looks like you won't be able to separate yourself of me after all." He motioned for Mugendramon to take aim again.

"Of course not!" Takumi cried out as Rapidmon and Andromon suddenly rammed into the Ultimate.

"Takumi!" Both Yuuko and Yuugo flinched as the Mugen Cannon just barely missed the Cyber Sleuth.

Yuuko paused as she stared at Yuugo in confusion. The light-haired hacker brought a hand up to his forehead as he seemed relieved Takumi was actually safe. Yuugo shook his head as he addressed the reckless detective. "Why must you always stand in my way?"

"Like I said," the redhead smirked, "this is the only way I know how to help you both…"

"How is this helping me?" Yuugo asked.

"Takumi…?" Yuuko knit her eyebrows together as she stared at her friend's back. "Just what are you doing…?"

The Cyber Sleuth brought his right fist to his heart while levelly staring at his opponent. "Haven't you both noticed it yet? The connection you both have to each other? It's not a matter of one surpassing the other…"

Yuuko's eyes widened as she realized what it was Takumi was getting at. "It's about rising above your past self with your own strength…!" She quickly called out to her Digimon. "Get up, RizeGreymon!"

Yuugo narrowed his eyes on her as he sensed there was something different in her resolve. "Yuuko…" Glancing over towards Takumi, he noticed the Cyber Sleuth had already recalled his team. The legendary hacker frowned as he understood the battle's victor had already been decided.

RizeGreymon charged up his arm cannon and fired three times. "Trident Revolver!"

Mugendramon collapsed under the barrage of shots and Yuugo let out a heavy sigh at the thought of having to be deleted. "I see… I suppose I have to disappear then."

Yuuko quickly shook her head. "No, I won't delete you." The light-haired boy stared at her in confusion so she continued. "The real me is still in here… Takumi's right in that I have to surpass you, but in order for me to do that, I have to accept that you and I were the same."

Yuugo stared at her with wide eyes before glancing over towards Takumi. The Cyber Sleuth only gave him a knowing smile and the legendary hacker chuckled at the turn of events. "I see," Yuugo nodded. "In that case…" he gave Takumi a grateful smile.

"Huh?" Takumi blinked as his Digivice beeped a few times. "Mugendramon?" He stared at the Zaxon hacker with wide blue eyes. "Yuugo…!"

"You truly are an irregular hacker… I never thought you'd be able to surpass me so easily, Takumi. I don't mind disappearing now that I know a proud hacker like you is more than capable of protecting EDEN in my place." The light-haired boy smiled at the redhead who only nodded in response.

"Eh…?" Yuuko's eyes widened in surprise at the avatar's words.

The boy who resembled her older brother looked back towards her and gave her a gentle smile. "Even if I'm deleted, I won't really be gone," he told her. "A part of me will always be with you. Isn't it time you hatched from your egg, Yuuko?"

"Yuugo…" Yuuko frowned at him. Yuugo simply smiled at her before his avatar dissipated into data. Yuuko's Digivice let out a ping as the data that used to be Yuugo loaded into her device. Yuuko walked towards the place Yuugo had been standing and closed her eyes. Takumi frowned and placed his hands at his hips as they stood in silence. Eventually, Yuuko opened her eyes and turned to frown at Takumi's concerned expression. "What?" she asked him. "Stop staring at me! I'm not going to cry, you know!"

The red-haired boy managed to put on a wry smile at that. "Even if you won't, Mugendramon and I might," he chuckled. He looked up at the Digimon standing behind her. "It looks like RizeGreymon might too," he noticed.

Yuuko turned to face the cyborg dinosaur that had fought by her side. "RizeGreymon, I'm no longer 'Yuugo', but will you stay with me?" RizeGreymon roared as his body became enveloped with light. The Digimon was soon replaced by a Dragon Man Digimon clad in dark samurai armor. "Well…" Yuuko stared at her Digimon in surprise before smiling at him. "Thanks," she nodded. She lowered her gaze as she considered her Digimon's evolution. "You evolved and you have a different body than before. I'm happy for you, but… I miss your old form a little bit…"

"Even so, his evolution is a mark of his resolve," Takumi simply stated. "He'll remain at your side, from now until the end." He gently smiled at his friend. "In a sense, you also evolved too, didn't you, Yuuko?" The girl lifted her gaze towards the Cyber Sleuth in mild surprise. "Into a stronger, braver you?"

Yuuko nodded to him. "The case is closed. Thank you," she gratefully smiled at the kind boy. She fell silent again and averted her gaze. "By the way… I'm in the middle of doing a round of the cake shops in Nakano…" she blushed. "Shall we go?"

"Are you sure you're alright?" Takumi asked in concern.

"No, no, don't worry," she frowned. "It's not like I'm gonna go binge eat or anything like that… I… I just need to get over it. That's all." She shook her head and glared at him. "Are you coming or not?" she sharply asked.

"Eh!?" Takumi was a bit taken aback by her outburst but he quickly smiled at her and nodded. "Of course! If there's food involved, you know I can't say no!" he exclaimed as a crooked grin appeared on his face. "Let's get cake! Lots and lots of cake!"

* * *

"Indeed," Kyoko brought her hand up to her mouth to hide her smirk as Takumi finished recounting his latest food adventure with his friend. "Yuuko thought the cakes were so delicious she just kept eating and eating, until the manager ended up crying."

"Yup," Takumi nodded. "I had wanted to sample each cake too but there wasn't enough so I missed out on some amazing flavors," he disappointedly sighed. He quickly became serious though. "Well, that's fine, considering you called me back early. Did you need me for something?" he asked.

"She was late contacting me, so I was worried, and then that was what she had to say in the end…" Kyoko sighed at both teens' voracious appetites. "I know we normally work a case to the end and provide the client with support afterwards, but… Maybe we should pass on it this time…"

"You pulled me away from cake!" Takumi frowned at her. "And I don't mind hanging out with Yuuko! Especially when there's food involved!" The detective seriously frowned at him and crossed her arms. "Um… Sorry," he cleared his throat. "There is something else you wanted to go over, right?"

"I've seen many instances of accounts being stolen by Digimon," she began. "For a human-like AI to start stealing accounts like that… When it comes to programming, an AI and a Digimon are basically the same… It seems that more and more strange things are happening in cyberspace."

Takumi smiled and crossed his arms at the thought. "Uh-huh," he nodded as he closed his eyes.

"You nod and say 'Uh-huh' just like everyone else, but… even you could be referred to as 'strange', don't you think?" Kyoko chuckled.

"Well, of course," Takumi sheepishly scratched his cheek.

"But anyway, nice work," Kyoko praised him for another job well done. "It looks like your cases are going well…" she nodded as she threw the folder for Yuuko's case onto the growing stack of files on her desk. "Oh yeah, shouldn't Mirei be just about done with her preparations at this point? Now that we've managed to stabilize your body, it's time for us to act. I'm counting on you to get it done."

"Understood," Takumi nodded before taking off again.

* * *

"My apologies for the wait," Mirei nodded to Takumi as he arrived. "Let's get started, shall we?" Takumi nodded as Mirei got up from her seat. She held up both crystals as her two cats stood at her side. Takumi watched as the Harmonious Will and Steel Will lit up before each choosing to merge with a cat.

Takumi's blue eyes widened as the white cat suddenly turned into an Angewomon while the black cat became LadyDevimon. The two Digimon combined together into a new Digimon, taking on the dual traits of both polar Digimon. The Cyber Sleuth stared, a bit awestruck by the Jogressed Digimon's overwhelming power. "Whoa…"

"Now, Mastemon," Mirei addressed her new Digimon. "Show me your power." Mastemon spun and waved her arm, opening up a strange portal in the DigiLab. "I opened an entrance to a parallel world with Mastemon's power," the woman addressed Takumi. "You can use it to leap across the dimensions. You should find what you seek there," she smiled.

"Alright," Takumi nodded before jumping in. "I'm off!"

* * *

A girl with green hair and a black hooded jacket shook with energy as she stared at her Digivice. "Draaaaaaattt!" she exploded. "Just as Veevee had this amazing evolution! That stupid bearded Digimonnnnnn!"

A V-mon popped up on her screen and shook his head at her. "It's all right, Rina. We're going to train some more and challenge him!"

"Fine, whatever," Rina frowned. "Wait, no!" she shook her head. "Not fine! If you're gonna do it, go do it on your own! I want to watch TV and read some manga…"

"What are you talking about?" Veevee sternly frowned at her. "I should just let my stolen power go!?"

"Power!?" Rina brought a hand up to her mouth. "Th-that would be a problem… Ohhh! What do we do?" She looked up as something weird was happening in front of her. "Ah? Hey!"

A strange hole opened up above the street and suddenly a boy with red hair, dressed in a black t-shirt and yellow pants jumped out of it. Takumi carefully landed onto a knee. "Hm?" he blinked at his surroundings. "Is this Shinjuku?"

"Wh-whoa!" Rina's eyes widened before she ran up to the boy. "You! You just… appeared out of nowhere! Like with a p-p-p-pop!"

"Huh?" Takumi got up and frowned at her.

"Whoa, whoa, hey!" Rina circled him. "Is this magic? A hidden camera!? Where's the camera!? How do I look on the video? Hey! Hey, you! Come on. Say something, will ya? What's going on!? Hey, hey, hey, hey!"

"Um…" the Cyber Sleuth shook his head. "Hold on… I'm a bit lost myself…" He paused when Mirei's voice spoke to him from the open portal behind him.

"It looks like you've managed to cross between the dimensions without incident," the woman stated.

"Mirei-san?" Takumi turned around. "Will you be joining me too?"

"I can't go there myself, but I can see you very clearly," she told him. "The boisterous girl is Shinomiya Rina. Ask her about what you seek. She will surely lead you to it."

"Alright," he nodded before facing Rina. Takumi looked around and noticed he was standing in the middle of the road. "So, Rina-san, allow me to explain," he said as he safely started for the sidewalk. "I'm Aiba Takumi and I come from a parallel world. I'm here to find UlforceV-dramon and recruit his help to fight against the Royal Knighst threatening to destroy my world."

Rina laughed. "What is that!? Parasol worlds!? Cool, cool! Fascinating, even!" She studied Takumi with wide red eyes. "So you came from sorta somewhere by a sorta somehow method, right? Yeah, I get it! Not really, but okay!" she exclaimed. "Anyway, you want to meet UlforceV-dramon, right?"

"That's right," Takumi nodded. He smiled as it seemed as though she got the gist of it.

"And you're a Tamer too, right?"

"I actually consider myself more of a Cyber Sleuth," the boy smirked. "But yeah, I guess so."

"Wow, wowsers!" she jumped. "Nice timing, perfect timing! You're very good and I'm very cute. You'll make a great helper! We're off to beat up Barbar! With a helper here, nobody needs to retrain all over again from the beginning!"

"Eh?" Takumi blinked at her in confusion.

"It's settled, then! Let's go, let's go!" she cried, pulling on the boy's arm.

"Wait, what's going on?" Takumi asked. "Where are you taking me?"

"What? To where? Duh, it's obvious!" Rina smiled. "To that sorta wavy-wavy kinda place!To where? Duh, it's obvious!" Rina smiled. "To that sorta wavy-wavy kinda place! Barbar is hiding out all sneaky-like in there! We get in and then you pound the pulp outta him!"

"Eh!?" Takumi frowned as he freed his arm from her surprisingly strong grip. "Can you at least explain it a bit better? Why am I…?"

"I'm sorry," Veevee revealed himself to the Cyber Sleuth. "Rina's always like this. To translate… Up ahead is a place where space is warped. Barbamon is there. We're going there to defeat him."

"Barbamon?" the redhead tilted his head to the side.

"Barbamon is one of the Seven Great Demon Lords," Veevee nodded. "He's an Ultimate Digimon. Rina and I defeated Barbamon once before, but… the revived Barbamon then stole all the power I had accumulated up to that point."

"So we'll pound Barbar and restore Veevee's power!" Rina exclaimed. "But it'll mostly be you doing the pounding! So, helper from a caramel world…" she nodded to Takumi. "Join us in our battle for revenge!" She paused and brought a hand up to her mouth as she laughed. "Yow, I… I just told you I liked you!"

Takumi blankly stared at her. "Something tells me you're not going to let me go off on my own…" He sighed and shook his head. "I guess I'll help out then. In return, you'll take me to UlforceV-dramon, right?"

"Sure, sure, whatever!" Rina nodded as she grabbed his arm again. "Let's go, helper!"

* * *

Takumi looked around the Shinjuku labyrinth. "I didn't expect there to be a labyrinth in this world too…" He looked towards Rina and noticed a V-mon emerging from her Digivice.

"Hey there," the Digimon smiled at him. "I'm Veevee, Rina's partner. At your service!"

"Okay," Rina nodded, "So Veevee has showed up and our supporters from the Parallel World are here too. We're goin' for it! I'm gonna smack you silly, Bumblemon! Just you wait and see!" she threateningly chuckled.

"Rina…" Veevee sighed. "That makes you sound like the bad guy."

"We'd better get going," Takumi suggested as he started to head deeper into the station.

* * *

Rina ran ahead to Takumi as they neared the Demon Lord. "I finally found you!" she cried. "How dare you, you punk!? Okay, let's make short work of this creep!"

"Return my power to me, Barbamon!" Veevee prepared for battle.

"So you're back, even though I let you go," the bearded Digimon sneered at the small Child. "With the power I stole from you, I will conquer this world as a Super-Duper Extra Deadly Digimon! Well, what about it?" he asked the pair of teenagers and their Digimon. "If you work for me, a quarter of the world will—"

Rina's red eyes sparked as a wide smirk appeared on her face. "Ooh! This is my chance!"

"Eh?" Takumi looked towards her as she suddenly ran forward and somersaulted through the air. "Eh!?" His blue eyes widened as she was heading straight for the Ultimate Digimon.

Barbamon laughed as he raised his staff. "Take this! Huh!?" He lifted his gaze up towards the somersaulting girl. "What!?" Before the Digimon knew it, Rina kicked him in the face. He fell flat on his back as Rina jumped back to a safe distance.

The girl bounced on her feet, ready for another strike. "Vanguard victory!" she exclaimed. "Ultra-courage! On my mark, everybody! Attaaaaack!"

"Hmph!" Barbamon scrambled to get up. "Surprise attacks are hardly fair!" He took off away from the girl as she began charging him.

"Rina, you're just…" Veevee shook his head. "Aw, dag nabbit!" He sighed as he joined his tamer in the battle.

Takumi scratched his cheek. "Um… Okay… I guess it's time for us to help," he crookedly smirked. "Let's go, everyone!" he nodded to his team.

"V-mon Head!" Veevee rammed his head into Barbamon before jumping back.

"Golden Triangle!"

"Spiral Sword!"

"Lovely Attack!"

"Hell's Flame!" Barbamon raised his staff as fire began spewing from it. The attacking Digimon retreated for a moment, giving the Demon Lord a chance to charge his power. "Magic Binge!"

Takumi frowned as his Digivice sensed a dramatic reduction in their opponent's attack, defense, and speed. "Everyone! Give it all you got!"

"Rapid Fire!"

"Gatling Missile!"

"Boom Boom Punch!" Monzaemon managed to land a few punches on the Demon Lord before backing up.

Veevee spat out small shots of energy from his mouth. "V-shot!"

Takumi called for a retreat when he sensed Barbamon's energy spike beginning to plateau. "Everyone! Watch out!"

"Pandemonium Lost!" The Demon Lord charged up a sphere of dark energy before unleashing it upon his opponents.

Veevee let out a cry as he flew back but he quickly rose back up. "Hopping Kick!" He jumped forward and kicked Barbamon with as much strength as he could muster.

The Ultimate Digimon laughed though as he whacked the Child with his Death Lure. "Magic Binge!" he cried as he began charging his power again.

Takumi frowned as he quickly applied a recovery spray on his team. "Let's try this again! Monzaemon, use Lovely Charm the next time he attacks!"

"V-mon Head!" Veevee headbutted their opponent again.

"Let's go, Veevee!" Rina cheered her partner on. "Pummel him to the ground!"

Barbamon growled as he tried to use Pandemonium Lost again, but Takumi quickly called out to his team. "Now! Xros Combo!"

"Lovely Charm!"

"Spiral Sword!"

"Rapid Fire!"

"V-mon Head Drop!" Veevee jumped into the air before diving headfirst into Barbamon's face, knocking the Demon Lord onto his back before he could attack.

"Nghhh! My power…!?" Barbamon tried to get back up. "My power!"

"Aaaaargh! My power, my power!" Rina mimicked him with a laugh. "That power is me and Veevee's blood, sweat, and tears!" she exclaimed before turning towards her partner. "Yeah, Veevee! C'mon, go for it!"

"All right!" Veevee nodded. "I'll get my power back!" He quickly loaded the energy Barbamon lost and evolved, much to the Demon Lord's great dismay.

"N-no…!"

Takumi's eyes widened as he performed a scan on the Dragon Man donned in blue armor. "You…!"

"I am UlforceV-dramon!" Veevee nodded to him with a chuckle. "Surprised?"

"Veevee!" Rina stood at the Royal Knight's side. "I'm going in for the finisher!"

"Okay, Rina!" the UlforceV-dramon nodded. The two stood together before crying out his final attack. "Shining V Force!"

"Oyster V Sauce!" the girl called out instead.

"Rina!" Veevee looked at her. "That doesn't even make sense!"

Barbamon let out a cry of despair. "To be done in by such… such triteness! Nooooo!"

The UlforceV-dramon charged up the V-shaped emblem on his chest before firing a ray of energy from it. When Barbamon was completely defeated, Veevee returned to his master and sternly frowned at her. "Rina! At least remember the names of the moves! You're always so random!"

"Really?" the girl blinked at him. "Well, whatever! We won," she smiled.

"Remember me…" Barbamon tried rising again. "I'll be back again and again… AGAIN AND AGA—" he let out a gasp before finally collapsing to the ground.

Takumi nervously chuckled at how strange this situation was. "Should I be worried about our future?" he asked his Digimon. They only shrugged to him in response.

* * *

"Thanks!" Rina nodded to Takumi as they emerged from the labyrinth. "You really helped a lot! And so yeah, like, here's who you wanted to meet. UlforceV-dramon, also known as Veevee!" she proudly exclaimed.

"Rina," the Digimon shook his head at her as he appeared on her Digivice's display screen, "there's not a serious bone in your body. And you?" he looked over towards Takumi. "What business do you have with me?"

"I came here from my world to ask for your help to protect it," Takumi seriously told him.

"I see," Veevee nodded. "Your world is in terrible danger. I understand! Now it is my turn to help you!" Rina frowned at that. "Rina, I…" the Digimon looked at his tamer in concern.

"Yeah, I know," Rina managed to give her partner a smile. "Have a safe trip, Veevee. I'll always have your back," she told him. "Even when you're in a distant world, okay?"

"Rina…" the UlforceV-dramon seemed to be on the verge of tears.

The girl turned away from him. "Jeez! Hurry up and go already!" she told him. "We're not good with tears, you and I!"

Takumi frowned at the sad separation. "Don't worry, Rina," he nodded to the tamer. "I'll bring Veevee back before you know it."

"Did you fulfill your objective, Takumi?" a voice called out to the Cyber Sleuth.

"Mirei-san?" Takumi looked up. "Ah… Yeah, I did. I have UlforceV-dramon now."

"I'll open the entrance then," she stated. "Come on back."

Takumi and Veevee shared a nod before the Digimon transferred into the redhead's Digivice. The Cyber Sleuth took a deep breath before starting for the middle of the street where the portal was to appear. Veevee called back out to his tamer. "Rina… I swear I'll come back! I will be back!"

"Veevee!" Rina yelled back at her Digimon. "I know for sure I'll see you again!" she nodded.

"Rina…" Veevee closed his eyes as the portal opened up. "Rinaaa!"

* * *

Takumi landed safely back in the DigiLab with the UlforceV-dramon behind him. The boy rose to his feet and nodded to Mirei in greeting. "I'm home," he smiled.

"Welcome home," Mirei smirked back at him. "You now have the power to oppose Sleipmon. We should thank Shinomiya Rina."

Takumi crossed his arms and closed his eyes. "Yeah…" he nodded.

He paused as someone behind him tried to mimic his voice. "Hmm… I have to thank the pretty girl… As a thank you, I'll give her… all my money!"

"Eh?" the boy opened his blue eyes in confusion. "Why would I do that?"

"What? Honey?" Rina crossed her arms. "Man, honeydew melon would sure hit the spot. Anything sweet would do…" she slurped.

"Eh!?" the Cyber Sleuth turned around to face her.

Even Veevee seemed surprised to see her there. "Rina!?"

"I kinda came with you," Rina giggled.

"What do you mean 'kinda came with me'!?" the UlforceV-dramon asked. "What about that emotional farewell!? My tears!? All meaningless now!" he cried.

"Where Veevee goes, I go!" Rina declared. "I mean, bring on the parallel! It's cool!"

Mirei sighed and placed a hand on her hip. "I see. She really took it to the extreme. To throw one's body into a crack in space-time…"

"That works? Or is there a problem?" Rina asked her.

"Whether it's a problem or not depends on how you take this," Mirei frowned at her. "One of the rules of traversing dimensional space-time is 'no bodies'. Which is why you've been forcibly split away from your body and now exist as a cyber entity."

"Huh… Hmph… A cyber entity…" Rina smiled and placed her hands on her hips. "Well, then, there's no problem I can see!"

Mirei sighed and closed her eyes. Veevee shook his head as he tried to explain it to his tamer. "Rina, I say this because you likely don't get it. 'Cyber entity' means having an existence akin to that of a Digimon. A digital existence."

"What, really!?" Rina's eyes widened. "I'm a Digimon now!? What about my cute body!? My pretty body!?"

"Unfortunately, your body is safe," Mirei told her with a smirk. "It remains back on your world. If you want to return, just let me know. I'll send you back."

"I see! Well, then that's perfect!" the green-haired girl nodded. "Bwuh!?" she blinked at Mirei. "Wait, why'd you just say 'unfortunately'!?"

"Did I?" Mirei frowned. "I don't remember. It may have been one of the mes from a parallel world. Worlds where I did and didn't say 'unfortunately'," she teasingly smirked. "Worlds where I might have said and didn't say it. Infinitely branching worlds with infinite mes."

"Huh? Uh, oh… But really?" Rina blinked at her a few more times before thinking something over. "You're Mirei-chan, right? If this is a parallel world, why are you…?"

Takumi tilted his head to the side, equally as confused as the tamer. "Mirei-san… I just noticed something… Do you actually know Rina-san and Veevee? Are you perhaps also…?" he looked down at his body before studying the woman he trusts with managing his Digimon. "H-huh…?" He blinked as he only just noticed how similar Mirei's Digital Wave signature was to his own.

"Do I know these two, you ask? I do," she nodded. "Casual acquaintances, you could say. From another world. Anyway," she looked towards Rina, "the risks in moving across dimensional space-time are high and not to be taken lightly. You should stay as composed as possible. I realize I'm talking to a brick wall, however," she sighed as Rina blinked at her with a wide clueless grin on her face.

Rina giggled as it all went over her head, but her Digimon nodded in understanding. "Yes, it is certainly impossible to ask Rina to be composed. She can stand still for about three seconds at absolute maximum. But!" he happily smiled at his tamer. "I'm still really glad she's here!" He returned to Rina's side and looked towards the Cyber Sleuth needing his help. "Well, Takumi! Let's go stop that rampaging beast! When it comes to speed, I won't be beaten!"

"Alright!" Takumi nodded to his new allies. "We should be able to catch Sleipmon now! Let's head to the EDEN Free Area again."

* * *

"Kyoko-san, I just got back from the parallel world," Takumi spoke into his Digivice.

"Parallel worlds, eh?" Kyoko smirked at him. "Intriguing," she mused. "This time, everything should go smoothly. Head out to where Sleipmon is," she directed him.

"Already on it," her assistant nodded as he landed in EDEN's free area. "I'll call you again with the results as soon as I have them." Takumi looked up as he saw Sleipmon charging towards him again. "Sleipmon! I've returned to challenge you!"

"Worthless human…" Sleipmon frowned at the boy. "You bothered coming back!?"

"That's enough!" Veevee cut in. "Now I'm here, too!"

Sleipmon chuckled at the sight of the UlforceV-dramon. "So you're the helper? Very well! It only makes you more worthy of destruction!"

"You!" Rina placed her hands on her hips as she studied Sleipmon. "I've heard about you! Going on a crazy rampage and stuff! What's up with that!?"

"You're asking why?" the Royal Knight asked her. "It is my impulse! I simply want to break things! The overwhelming ill will of humanity in cyberspace has eaten away at me directly! It triggers my impulse! Break, destroy, shatter!" He let out a fierce cry.

"There's something wrong with him, Rina!" Veevee tensed up.

"I want to break things!" the other Digimon continued. "This impulse is all the humans' fault! The nature of humans is to act as they desire! I understand! And so I obey my impulse! And as in cyberspace, so too in the real world! Foolish humans! Your destruction is all I seek!"

"Huh? What?" Rina frowned. "You're saying it's our fault? If it's your destructive impulses, then YOU do something! You have to take responsibility for your actions! Even I know that!" she stated. "Which means that you know less than me, okay?"

"What did you just say?" Sleipmon narrowed his gaze on her.

"You don't understand the first thing about us!" Rina shrugged. "So a little beating and a lot of talking, okay!?" she smirked before bouncing on her feet again. She lightly threw a few jabs at the air, prepared for a battle.

"You obnoxious little brat," the Royal Knight glared at her. "If you think you can stop me, go ahead and try!" He took off into the air, ready to gallop away.

"Veevee!" Rina quickly turned to her partner. "C'mon, go for it! Paaarrrt TWO!"

"All right!" Veevee nodded. "Here I go, Takumi!" He offered the boy a ride on his back and Takumi climbed aboard.

"Let's go, everyone!" Takumi nodded as he called out his team. He tightly held onto Veevee as the UlforceV-dramon suddenly took off into the air. "Lilimon!" the boy called out to the fairy flying at his right. "Bind him with Temptation! Rapidmon, Jesmon! Full assault!"

Sleipmon slowed down as leaves began to surround his body. He winced as Rapidmon began firing missiles at him and Jesmon rushed in to pierce him with his swords. "Furrow-sword Judgement!" the young Royal Knight cried out.

The six-legged Royal Knight let out a growl as he raised his holy bow towards Takumi and Veevee. "Bifröst!"

The UlforceV-dramon easily evaded it as Takumi called out a new string of orders. "Jesmon! Use your OS Generics to increase you speed even further! Rapidmon, Lilimon! Keep attacking!"

"Golden Triangle!"

"Dual Hand Flower Paddle Bomb!" Both of Lilimon's hands became flower petal guns and she quickly began firing at Sleipmon.

Sleipmon lifted the shield on his right arm up and tried attacking the Digimon with it. "Odin's Breath!" A flurry of ice blew towards Takumi's Digimon and the Royal Knight intended to freeze them in place before taking them out with his Muspellheimr. He smiled as Lilimon made the perfect first target. "Bifröst!" He fired an arrow towards the Data fairy, but didn't expect Jesmon to suddenly intervene.

"Schwertgeist!" he called out before countering the arrow alongside the three fire spirits always accompanying him. They slashed at Sleipmon with their nine swords and knocked him back.

"Now's our chance!" Takumi nodded to Veevee.

"Ulforce Saber!" The UlforceV-dramon generated a beam sword from the V Bracelet on his right wrist and charged towards Sleipmon. He swung his weapon at the other Royal Knight but the six-legged warrior quickly blocked the attack with his Niflheimr. Veevee pushed against him and managed to force Sleipmon to the ground.

"Xros Combo!"

"Shining V Force!"

"Flower Cannon!"

"Homing Missile!"

"Furrow-sword Judgement!"

"All right! Victory is ours!" Rina cheered as Veevee landed behind her. "We did it, Takumi!" she smiled at the Cyber Sleuth as he slid off her Digimon.

"Yeah, we did!" Takumi smiled back with a nod. "Good work, everyone!"

"So," Rina walked up to Sleipmon and blinked at him. "How do you feel now? Cooler heads reigning?"

"Impossible!" Sleipmon shook his head as he looked between Rina, Takumi, and their Digimon. "To be able to keep up with my speed…" He let out a frustrated growl. "Go on, then! Do it quickly! Finish me off."

"Finish you?" Rina blinked at him in confusion. "What do you mean? No one's finishing anyone."

"You… intend to show mercy?"

The girl shook her head. "Listen, you've got it all wrong! Didn't I tell ya? We've got some loooooong talking to do, so…" she smiled at the Digimon. "Come travel with me for a little while," she told him. "Veevee and I will be staying in this world for a little while longer."

"Go somewhere with a human? Me!?" Sleipmon was taken aback. "What rubbish!"

"Well, it seems like you've only seen the bad side of humans," Rina stated. "You can't think we're all like that? So a little time with us will clear up your little misunderstanding."

"If indeed it is a misunderstanding, that is," Sleipmon frowned.

Rina thought about something for a moment. "And if there's no good to be found here on this world, then come to ours! We'd welcome you!"

Sleipmon laughed at the girl's simple-mindedness. "You're thinking I'd go along with THAT plan?"

"Yup!" Rina cheerfully smiled as she placed her hands on her hips.

"Hmph… All right," the Royal Knight nodded. "I'll go along for the sake of your optimism. And if should we find no good among humans, then…"

"Okay! Let's do some sightseeing!" Rina cut him off. "Where to begin? Anything good to eat?"

"Hey, don't interrupt," Sleipmon frowned at her. "That's rude."

"We're leaving!" the girl declared before running off.

"Ah!" Veevee tensed up. "Wait up, Rina!" He quickly turned to Takumi and gave him an apologetic bow. "Okay, if you need our power, call us whenever!" He and Sleipmon quickly took off after Rina, leaving Takumi blinking at whatever it was that just happened.

"What the…!?" the Cyber Sleuth frowned. "So then Sleipmon ISN'T our ally?" He shook his head and chuckled to himself. "Well, whatever… I'd better get back to the agency."

* * *

"I see…" Kyoko brought her hand up to her mouth. "Sleipmon must have been confused. He was just running around and wasn't causing any damage. Maybe he was trying to clear his head?"

"It looked like it," Takumi shrugged.

"But as for that Shinomiya Rina…" Kyoko frowned and shook her head as she decided not to go into the subject. "No… I have no questions to ask about her. In any event," she crossed her arms, "UlforceV-dramon has unparalleled fighting power. We must thank Mikagura Mirei." She paused to consider what would be an appropriate method to do so. "That's it! I'll develop a new blend for her," the detective smiled.

"Will she actually accept it?" Takumi nervously asked. He shook his head. "Maybe… you should come up with something else, Kyoko-san."

"Why are you looking so meh?" Kyoko asked him. "Are you thinking she won't 'get' my coffee? It's been a secret up until now but she understands my creative energies and in fact, she even helps me focus them."

"Eh!?" her assistant tensed up.

"One of my four masterpieces was her idea," the woman nodded her head, "the Bonito Broth and Balsamic Vinegar Blend. I made some just now, actually," she smiled.

"I had no idea!" Takumi was taken aback by this new information. "Mikagura Mirei-san… What a fearsome individual!" His eyes widened as he realized what was coming next. "Ah… I'm going to step out for a while, Kyoko-san…" he stammered as he backed away from her.

"Oh? But what about your coffee?" Kyoko smirked as she was already pouring out a cup for him. The red-haired boy whimpered as he stared at the sour-smelling coffee.

* * *

Kyoko nodded as she finished confirming the current whereabouts of each Royal Knight. "Our Royal Knight allies are coming along well," she noted to Takumi. "But Duftmon must be aware of our actions. Don't let your guard down," she warned him.

"Right," Takumi nodded. He blinked as the office phone began to ring.

Kyoko smirked as she noticed who it was from. "Oh-ho, how rare! A call from Inspector Date!" She quickly answered to see what it was about.

"Hey! Detective!" Date frowned at them. "One of those monsters has shown up in Asakusa! We don't have the men to deal with this. Go and check it out for me! Thanks!" Without waiting for them to accept the request, the inspector hung up.

"Hmm… Was that supposed to be a case request?" Kyoko asked, bringing a hand up to her chin. "It's like I'm the town handyman around here…"

"You?" Takumi frowned at his boss. "Aren't I the one being sent to handle it though?"

Kyoko ignored his complaint. "This makes it vague when it comes to the contract," she mused. "It's a problem but there's nothing to be done."

"I guess not," her assistant sighed. "Work is work…"

She chuckled to herself. "That monster… If an Eater has appeared, then maybe conditions have changed. Okay, it's your turn," she looked at the Cyber Sleuth. "The location is Asakusa. Head over there as soon as possible. Be careful… and when necessary, be bold," she advised him.

"Understood," Takumi nodded.

* * *

Takumi gasped when he saw a familiar teen wearing a white hooded jacket ahead of him. "Arata!"

"Takumi…" Arata scowled as he turned to face his friend. "What are you here for? I've got business with this one! Don't interfere!"

"W-what do you mean?" the Cyber Sleuth asked, noticing the strange glint in his friend's dark blue eyes. Takumi's eyes darted towards the humanoid Eater behind the older teen though. "N-never mind! Arata! Look out!"

Arata coolly stepped out of the way as the Eater tried to swipe its arm at him. "Infermon, take care of it."

"Hell's Grenade!" Infermon cackled.

"Jesmon! Rapidmon! Go on ahead while Mugendramon charges his cannon!" Takumi nodded to them.

"Oh?" Arata frowned when he noticed the familiar mechanical dragon with the Cyber Sleuth. "When did you get such a powerful Digimon? How did you take it from the fake Yuugo for that matter?"

"Even if he wasn't real, Yuugo entrusted EDEN and Mugendramon to me," Takumi frowned as he kept a careful eye on the Eater. "Jesmon! Use Schertgeist! Rapidmon! Golden Triangle!"

"Entrusted? To you?" Arata shook his head. "A soft-hearted guy like you should quit while you're ahead. It's because of that weakness you're already in over your head with that body of yours…" He clenched his fists and called out to Infermon. "Cocoon Guard!"

"Everyone, get down!" Takumi ducked behind Mugendramon as the great beast finally fired his fully charged Mugen Cannon. "I really don't get you, Arata," Takumi sighed. "You're always running around worrying over others yet you complain that you're not strong. Do you really think you're that weak?"

"What would you know about weakness?" the older boy asked. "You're always rushing straight into danger yourself without thinking about the consequences! Hell, you and Nokia are the same! Your weakness will get you killed one day, so that's why I have to cover your back!" Arata angrily cried. "I can't do that unless I have power!"

"But you've always covered us without fail before," Takumi sadly frowned. "What makes things different this time?"

"You wouldn't understand," Arata told him, "and I'd prefer if you didn't, Takumi. Knowing you and your soft-heartedness, you'd rush off ahead of me with no way for me to catch up… That's why… I have to do this!"

"Hell's Grenade!" Infermon fired another barrage of shots at the Eater.

"Arata…" the Cyber Sleuth lowered his gaze to the ground.

"Takumi!" Jesmon jumped back as he countered the Eater's arm. "It's almost down!"

"Rapid Fire!" Rapidmon fired his missiles to knock the monster back a little. The creature collapsed to the ground and Takumi spotted their chance to end things.

"Xros—"

"Stop right there!" Arata interrupted him as he reloaded Infermon back into his Digivice. "Watch from where you are," he told the younger teen. Arata held out his hand towards the Eater and screamed as his arm became wrapped in a distorted light.

Takumi gasped when the Eater became assimilated into his friend's body. He stared at Arata's right arm and studied its new monstrous form. "Huh!?"

"This is the sort of thing I'm capable of now," the older boy smirked as he lifted his new arm up. "This is the power Suedou gave me. I'm going to eat… More and more… I'll eat!" He maniacally laughed before turning towards his loyal Digimon.

"Arata…" Takumi knit his eyebrows together and noticed Arata's eyes had turned red.

"How wretched…" a voice spoke up.

Arata quickly turned to face who it was. "Who's that?"

"Dukemon!" Takumi's eyes widened as the Royal Knight landed in front of Arata.

"I came because I felt a strange presence…" Dukemon stated. "I wasn't expecting this horrifying form I see now," he frowned at the raven-haired hacker. "You are no longer a person!"

"And what of it?" Arata asked, shaking his head. "Being human wasn't enough. So I just went beyond humanity! It's not any different from Takumi's body."

"Arata!" Takumi frowned at him but he noticed Dukemon taking a step towards the older teen.

"I see," the Royal Knight readied his lance. "Then I must defeat you. I will at least try to be gentle!"

"Dukemon, no!" Takumi quickly stepped in between them.

"Don't interfere!" Dukemon snapped at the Cyber Sleuth. "Even if he was your friend, emotional involvement will only add to the confusion!"

"Ah!" the younger teen's blue eyes widened at that. Still, he shook his head. "Even so, I can't let you both fight!"

"Your actions only hasten his fall into darkness!" Dukemon argued, causing Takumi to hesitantly stare at the raven-haired hacker. "You should know that his death will be a mercy!"

"Quit yammering and come for me, if you're coming!" Arata challenged the powerful Digimon. "I haven't tried a Royal Knight… I want a taste!" he eagerly cried. "I want to see how strong I've become!"

"Arata! Dukemon! No!" Takumi was roughly shoved to the side by the Royal Knight as the great warrior charged towards Arata without reservation.

"Royal Saber!" Dukemon thrust his weapon forward but frowned as Arata swiftly evaded it. He swung Gram at the boy a few more times but to no avail. When he realized none of his attacks would connect, Dukemon jumped back before lifting his shield towards the monstrous boy. "Final Elysion!" Aegis released a purifying beam and Takumi had to cover his eyes to shield them from the bright light.

When the attack ended, Takumi looked around but couldn't find Arata. He tensed up those as he sensed his friend in the air. "Arata!"

The raven-haired boy laughed as he pointed his Eater arm towards Dukemon. "Incept Handler!" His fingers shot out in the same fashion the Eaters' tentacles usually do as they consumed data.

Dukemon protected himself with his shield, but the powerful blow had come as a shock to the powerful Royal Knight. "What manner of lunacy is this!? Where is he getting this power from?"

Arata laughed as he landed on the ground. "Incredible… It's incredible! This is my power!" He smirked at his new arm. "As long as I have this, this power…!"

"That's enough!" Takumi called out as he stood in between the two fighters again.

"We must stop him here!" Dukemon refused to back down. "The chaos will only worsen!"

"I understand…" Arata nodded as he continued to smile at his newfound power. "I understand it all. It's all so clear now." He sneered at Dukemon. "I'm not a match for you. Not yet," he shook his head. "I'll have to eat more and more… and then we can meet again." He giddily chuckled at the thought. "I'll see you around!" He quickly retreated before the other two could stop him.

"Arata!" Takumi turned towards the boy as he left.

"Don't let him get away!" Dukemon cried. "We can't just let him do as he pleases!" He quickly gave chase after the dangerous teen.

The Cyber Sleuth frowned as he debated whether or not he should go. On one hand, he had to stop Arata because Dukemon was right. On the other, he knew he couldn't fight against his friend. His decision was made for him though when his Digivice suddenly rang.

"Hey, Takumi!" Nokia smiled at him. "Where you at? Yuuko-chi wants to have a meeting. Come to Nakano." She paused when she noticed the strange expression the usually cheery boy's face. "Hey, wait, Takumi! You look a little pale. Something happen?"

"W-well…" Takumi's frown deepened as he wondered how he would break the news to Nokia.

"Anyway," she worriedly knit her eyebrows together, "meet us at the agency! You can tell us all about it there!"

"Y-yeah…" Takumi nodded before the call ended. He lowered his gaze to the ground and clenched his right hand. "Arata…" He thought back to how the older boy had said his alteration was no different from Takumi's half-cyber body. "Why would you throw yourself away like that?" he asked. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before deciding it was best to not keep Kyoko, Nokia, and Yuuko waiting.

* * *

 **Final Notes:** So I gave Takumi Jesmon and Mugendramon... Namely because... I don't know what Jesmon would be doing otherwise... Gankoomon just chills around Ueno, not really caring about anything. Magnamon is hanging out with Nokia, I'm sure. Also... I'm not really sure, but I couldn't tell if Yuugo was really deleted or not in the game. I decided to delete him here because... well... I get a lot of Persona vibes here and it's like Yuuko accepted her shadow. So Yuugo is gone but his spirit lives on! Of course, just because the Zaxon legend is gone, I couldn't really delete his Digimon, so yay, Takumi getting Mugendramon! I never played Re:Digitize Decode but that's where Rina and Mirei are originally from. It's a weird crossover of sorts, but it's there. I really don't have much of an opinion on it. Starting next chapter, Takumi properly begins evolving his own team, so I'll list that out tomorrow. For now, he finally has a full team of 11 Digimon! Oh, something weird about the game's programming for those who don't really know. So on a New Game Plus, it rolls over a lot of your progress from the previous game so if you unlock the Great Challenges and Sayo quests and complete them, their progress is saved into the New Game Plus. BUT! If you don't do them at all, a New Game Plus still considers you as having complete them so even without starting those quests, it's completely possible to play through the game and completing your Digimon Encyclopedia without having to go through the hassle of fighting through the game's most difficult battles. The only weird thing is that you don't unlock Hackmon until this chapter still because the Steel Will is a necessary plot item. You can still devolve into him though...


	24. Diver City: Isle of Dragons

**Author's Notes:** Okay, time to list out Takumi's current team... Besides Jesmon and Mugendramon, we have his starters: SaintGalgomon, HiAndromon, and Rosemon. Then his DLC Digimon are now MetalGarurumon (Black) and BlackWarGreymon. That Tankmon he saved a long ago is now Darkdramon after being a Gigadramon. He still never used it, but it's there. And his Monzaemon that came from Yukidarumon is now SaberLeomon. As for MegaloGrowmon and Knightmon, they haven't evolved yet. This gives him 4 Data, 5 Viruses, and 2 Vaccines. Well... there's a sudden shift in bosses being more aligned to Vaccine and Data now... This is still pretty balanced to me.

* * *

Rather than meet the others at the agency, Takumi frowned as he entered K-Café. It wasn't that he was bothered by the change of pace, but the sight of Omegamon crouched in the corner near the counter seemed extremely out of place. Still, he wasn't about to call the Digimon out on it since his mind was elsewhere.

"Sorry I'm late," he nodded to Kyoko before taking the empty seat next to Yuuko. "So what's going on?" he asked with an exhausted sigh.

"Hmm…" Kyoko crossed her arms. "There are five Royal Knights left."

"Um…" Nokia frowned. "There's Examon, Duftmon, Dynasmon, Craniummon…"

"And LordKnightmon," Yuuko coolly finished.

"Yeah…" Takumi absently nodded.

"Eesh…" Nokia crookedly smiled. "Even the names sound tough." She turned back towards her Digimon. "Hey, Omegamon? Is it really true that none of the Royal Knights mentioned will come over to our side?"

"I'm afraid not," Omegamon carefully shook his head. "None would be our allies. We are bound to fight them all."

"I see…" the girl smiled in understanding. "Then it's totally down to us! But other than Examon storming around Odaiba, we don't know where they are."

"It's possible that LordKnightmon might be in Odaiba as well," Yuuko pointed out.

"Eh?" Takumi looked up at that, a bit surprised that she sounded so certain of that.

"Really!?" Nokia was also surprised. "How do you know? Could it be you've awakened to your latent psychic potential, Yuuko-chi!?"

"When I traced Rie-san's computer, I found that it was using an IP address in Odaiba," the raven-haired girl explained. "I can't be certain that it's LordKnightmon's, but…"

"No, it's fairly likely to be LordKnightmon," Kyoko nodded. "The Royal Knights can't ignore Examon in his amok state. They're probably thinking of a way to use him."

"In which case…" Omegamon frowned, "Examon is the Digimon with the highest level of battle power among the Royal Knights. We must halt LordKnightmon's movements, no matter what it takes!"

"Now is when we should seek the help of any Royal Knights we can persuade to be our allies," Kyoko stated.

"That's certainly true," Omegamon agreed. "I will seek their help. Leave them to me!"

"We're totally decided then!" Nokia smirked. "Let's do this Odaiba thing, y'all!"

"Eh, excuse me," Yuuko frowned, "but do we have an actual strategy for this?"

"Hmm… Oh yeah…" Nokia actually took a moment to think about it. "How about…? We go with the Whatever Feels Right at the Moment Strategy?"

"Of course," Omegamon nodded. "It's an Improvise on Individual Initiative Plan! Excellent, Nokia! That's perfect," he praised his tamer.

"What? Seriously?" Nokia's grin widened as she blushed at her partner's words. "Totally seriously?" she giggled. "Don't stop! Tell me more!"

"What a pair of idiots," Yuuko muttered under her breath. "Don't you agree, Takumi?"

"Hm?" Takumi blinked as he hadn't been paying attention. "Well…" he looked between the frowning Yuuko and grinning Nokia. "Whatever works, right?" he shrugged.

Kyoko chuckled at the lively teens. "Go with whatever plan you think will be best. I will back you up from here at the agency. As a noncombatant, I would only hinder you otherwise."

"Mm…" Takumi frowned but nodded in agreement. "Just… leave it to us… I suppose," he told the detective.

"Okay, planning meeting over!" Nokia exclaimed. "Let's get to it."

"W-wait…!" Takumi called out as she was about to stand. "H-hang on…!"

"Yeah?" the red-haired girl blinked at him. "You wanted to say something first?"

The boy nodded and lowered his gaze. "It's… about Arata…" Everybody patiently listened as Takumi recounted what happened in Asakusa.

"No way…" Nokia frowned. "I can't believe that could happen to Arata…"

"Dukemon is after him?" Omegamon frowned. "Dukemon, taking up arms against humans after claiming he wanted to understand them? We must consider the possibility that some rather frightening changes are happening to Arata."

"Crap, crap, crap!" Nokia cried out. "That jerk of a hunk! I'll call him JH for short! Let's beat him silly. Everybody gets one punch. That should fix it. Yeah, that oughta do it," she nodded.

"Nokia…" Takumi frowned at her.

"Oh, and you too, Omegamon!" the girl looked up at her Digimon. "Punch him with all your might!"

"If you wish, I shall attack with all I have," the Royal Knight nodded.

"Nokia!" Takumi snapped at her. Everybody stared at the gentle boy in surprise. "Just what are you saying!? Arata is still our friend! We can't just…! I can't…!" He frowned at the thought of having to fight the older boy, let alone _eliminating_ him. Takumi noticed everyone around him was rather silent as they kept their gaze on him so he looked up at them with wide blue eyes. "S-sorry…" he stammered. "I didn't mean to shout…" He brought a hand up to his forehead. "I'm sorry…"

"Takumi…" Kyoko calmly studied her assistant. "I know you're worried about Sanada Arata, but don't get careless, alright?"

The red-haired boy nodded. "I understand," he responded. "I'm sorry, Kyoko-san."

Yuuko frowned as it had been strange to see him so angry. "We should return to our current task…" she suggested.

Omegamon nodded. "We should begin with our trip to Odaiba. Examon must be kept away from LordKnightmon."

Yuuko stood up from her seat and looked over to the despondent Cyber Sleuth. "Let's go, Takumi." The boy still didn't really respond so she tugged on his arm. "Takumi?"

"Hm?" he blinked a few times. "Oh, right… S-sorry…" He stood up and nodded before following her and Kyoko out.

Nokia was about to join them but turned to face her Digimon. "Say, uh, Omegamon… Next time, let's do this online, okay?"

"Ahh. Understood," Omegamon said, bowing his head. "I had wanted to meet in a café, as Nokia had said, to better understand humans, but… I apologize for asking the impossible."

"No, that's fine," Nokia smiled at him. "That's what makes you totally adorbs!"

"Nokia…" the Digimon looked up at her. "You are truly a very forgiving person."

The girl giggled and blushed at his praise. "I guess so! I'm not just a pretty face!"

* * *

"No way…" Takumi stared at the darkened streets with wide blue eyes and shook his head. "This is… Odaiba!?" He frowned at the destruction around them. "It's more like a war zone than anything else…" He paused when his Digivice began to ring.

"It looks like you've arrived in Odaiba," Kyoko noted.

"Yeah…" her assistant nodded. "It's pretty bad though…" He placed a hand over his heart and groaned in discomfort. "I'm not talking about just the atmosphere either. It's a bit difficult for me to breathe here…"

"I've been monitoring the state of the Digital Waves occurring in various areas," the detective stated, "But the values around Odaiba have suddenly increased. As Suedou said, they had technology to control Eaters using Digital Waves. In other words…" Kyoko brought a hand up to her mouth, "Controlling the Eater that's preying on Examon might allow for the control of Examon himself. Allowing them to take control of such a vastly superior Digimon would be a terrible blow on our side. You must prevent this from happening if at all possible," she nodded to the boy.

"Understood," Takumi told her before leading his friends towards the building with a large dragon roosted on top of it.

* * *

"Whoa, that thing's totally huge!" Nokia cried out when they made it to the top of the roof. Examon loomed over them and roared as the Eaters on his body tried to consume him. "Isn't… isn't that against the rules?" the girl nervously asked. "If that thing gets loose…"

Yuuko gasped and pointed to the familiar pink Digimon standing alone on the helipad. "LordKnightmon!"

Takumi steeled his nerves and nodded to the girls. "Let's go!" he called out as he took the lead.

"Rie-san!" Yuuko called out to the Digimon.

LordKnightmon turned to face them but chuckled. "I would have thought the Eaters would have gotten you by now, yet still you cling to life," she mocked the girl.

"So that really is your true form then," the teen glared at her.

"That reminds me," LordKnightmon said, "This is the first time I've shown you this form. Allow me to introduce myself then." She pulled a rose out of nowhere and brought it to her face. "I am the lord of the Knightmon, made from a deviant virus type among the Royal Knights! My name is LordKnightmon! I shall snatch the shining rose of victory!" she declared. "This is indeed my true form!"

"You're the one who controls the Eaters?" Yuuko asked. "You got into Kamishiro, aided Suedou with his work to get what you needed, continued your preparations…"

The Digimon chuckled. "You should be thanking me. My help revolutionized that research," she boasted. "Yet to think that controlling Digital Waves would produce this much power… This was a result even I did not expect. I'm shocked that Suedou—no, that any human could come this close to the Digital Justice…"

"You'd use that power to destroy innocent people? Why? How can you do such a thing?" Yuuko demanded to know.

"Innocent?" the Digimon sneered at her. "Preposterous. You shall all reap what you have sown! The EDEN Network created by your father became the path and his children opened it up! And then the nightmare began! The Eaters began eroding away our Digital World!"

"Hm?" Takumi frowned at the Digimon's ominous words as they didn't bode well with him.

"What!?" Nokia gasped.

"I purged the sin of EDEN's creator, Kamishiro Satoru. Other sins remain…" LordKnightmon glared at them.

Yuuko let out a sharp gasp. "Then it was you who killed my father after all!?" The quiet raven-haired girl began trembling in rage. "I'll never forgive you. Never!"

"Hmph… You humans are the ones who cannot be forgiven! How many times must I say it?" LordKnightmon turned towards Examon who let out a roar. "Examon, you won't forgive them either, will you? These howling, noisome, squirming humans! Rejoice!" she cried, facing the children once more. "The sins of humankind will be burned away by Examon the Dragon Emperor! Do you think you can stop that from happening?"

"We won't know until we try," Takumi tensed up for battle.

The pink Royal Knight laughed at him. "It's the beginning of the end! Ashes to ashes, dust to dust!" she stated before suddenly taking off.

Omegamon shook his head as it was best to let her go. "This is bad! We have to stop Examon. If we don't, the human world is done for!"

"It…" Nokia began trembling from fear. "It'll totally work out! Uh, right?"

"We'll definitely make it work!" Takumi called out as he summoned his team. He paused as he sensed more Royal Knights arriving. "Ah! Everyone!"

Magnamon nodded to the red-haired boy. "Now, more than ever, we must all work together!"

"I hear the voice of my true friends!" Dukemon stated.

"The greater our urge to protect this world," Jesmon stood at Takumi's side, "the stronger we become!"

"Rina is also fond of this world," Veevee nodded, "and so I must not let it be destroyed!"

Examon let out a roar and the Cyber Sleuth looked up at the great behemoth. "All right! All together now, everyone!"

Omegamon threw aside his mantle and unleashed his Grey Sword. "With this much power in one place, we can do it!" He took off into the air with Jesmon and Veevee.

Takumi was about to send the rest of his team to aid them but paused as Dukemon and Magnamon approached him. "What is it?" the boy asked.

"Have you not seen the boy?" Dukemon queried the teen. "He should have been headed this way."

"No," the Cyber Sleuth shook his head.

"I see. He was steadily accumulating more power while evading my pursuit," Dukemon frowned. "We'll have to get him next time."

"I still don't think it's right to fight him," Takumi frowned. "Arata…"

"But first things first," Dukemon turned to face Examon. "We fight together! To stop Examon!"

"Let's go full bore!" Magnamon nodded.

The Cyber Sleuth cleared away all thoughts of Arata for now. "Everyone! Charge!"

Mugendramon roared as he planted himself on the ground and began charging his Mugen Cannon. To the mechanical dragon's right, MetalGarurumon (Black) let out a howl as he charged forward with all of the missile ports on his body open. "Blizzard Wolf Claw!"

A Cyborg Digimon with dark blue armor and lance on his right arm roared as he charged up a ball of dark matter. "Dark Roar!"

"Keep it up, Darkdramon, MetalGarurumon (Black)!" Takumi called out to them as he kept a careful eye on Jesmon in the air above him. He couldn't call out orders to the Royal Knight, but he trusted the youngest member to be able to hold his own alongside Veevee and Omegamon.

Dukemon lifted Gram and nodded to Darkdramon before the two of them pierced Examon with their weapons. "Royal Saber!"

"Gigastick Lance!"

Examon didn't seem too bothered by it though as he flapped his great wings to kick up a powerful gale. "Avalon's Gate!" He swung his enormous lance at both Digimon and knocked them aside.

Magnamon took off into the air and began compressing the space around the large Royal Knight. "Shining Gold Solar Storm!" He let the area expand into a bright golden explosion and Examon roared at him.

"Okay, Mugendramon's ready!" Takumi cried. "Mugen Cannon!" The mechanical dragon's eyes lit up as he fired a devastating blast from both his shoulder cannons.

The blow managed to push Examon back until he was on the edge of the roof, but the Dragon Emperor quickly regained his balance and flapped his wings. Despite his heavy size, he was able to lift himself into the air before charging Ambrosius with energy. "Pendragon's Glory!" He released a laser from his lance and the Digimon on the roof quickly shielded Takumi, Yuuko, and Nokia from the blast.

Mugendramon creaked as he struggled to rise but Takumi quickly patted his head to tell him to take it easy. "Thank you, Mugendramon, but that's enough." He frowned up at Examon as the Dragon Emperor landed on the roof again to let out a furious roar. It didn't seem like Examon was going to attack again, so the Cyber Sleuth did a quick check of everybody else's current state. "Is everyone alright!?"

"Agh!" Dukemon landed on the ground. "We won't be able to use ordinary means after all!"

Jesmon tried attacking Examon, but the Dragon Emperor knocked him into the ground with a swipe of its massive claws. The newest member of the Royal Knights struggled to stand. "It's no good… It's not working!"

"Examon's getting away!" Omegamon cried as the great beast was beginning to flap his wings again.

Examon took off into the dark smoke-filled sky without looking back at them and Jesmon tensed up. "Takumi! I'll go after him!" he stated. "Otherwise, my master will be in for a beating!"

"I'll go too!" Veevee nodded. "If we let him escape, Rina will have my head!" the UlforceV-dramon exclaimed. Both Royal Knights nodded to each other before taking off after Examon.

"I leave this to them for now," Omegamon said.

"Yeah," Takumi nodded as both Veevee and Jesmon had the speed and strength to keep up with Examon. He turned back to everyone else and noticed how exhausted they all were. "So what now?"

"I must recuperate," Omegamon told him before approaching his sworn comrade in arms. "Dukemon, are you okay?"

"Yes… I'll pull through…" the knight nodded.

"I see…" a voice darkly chuckled. "I'm glad you're still fresh."

Takumi tensed up as he quickly recognized who it was. "Arata!"

"Watch out, Dukemon!" Magnamon cried out in alarm when he spotted a boy wearing a white hood sneak up on his ally from behind.

"You're too late," Arata smirked.

"It can't—!" Dukemon quickly turned to see Arata's Eater arm pointed at him.

Arata laughed as the Royal Knight's data was his. Once Dukemon was completely consumed, the teen laughed. "Now you'll see!" He gasped at the sudden surge of power rushing through him. He let out a pained scream as he quickly reigned in the Royal Knight's power.

"Arata!?" Takumi ran towards him but paused when the Digital Waves around Arata heavily distorted, forcing him to stay back. The Cyber Sleuth found the air suffocating but he did all he could to scan away some of the excess data his friend was trying to contain. "Arata!"

"Oof!" Arata frowned as he sensed what Takumi was doing, but it didn't matter since Dukemon's power was even greater than what he previously thought. "So this… is the power of the Royal Knights!" He continued to gasp in pain but smirked at his increasing strength. "Agh… What!? Ahh… Ahh! It… it burns! I'm overflowing… with power!" He laughed at the reinvigorating sensation swirling within him. "This is it! This is the power! This is what I was after. THIS!"

"Arata…!" Deciding to take his chances against the unstable Digital Waves, Takumi let out a cry as he began rushing towards his friend. Even if it was painful for him to get any closer, he had to try. He only made it a few steps before his body refused to go any further. His eyes widened as his legs locked up and he fell flat onto his face. "Arata!" The older boy didn't seem to care though as he quickly disappeared off the rooftop, in search of more things to eat.

"Takumi!" Yuuko quickly knelt at the redhead's side as he was painfully gasping for air.

"What's going on?" Nokia frowned. "What…?" She turned towards Takumi as he managed to get up onto a knee. "Hey! Tell me! What is this!? Why is this happening!?" Takumi didn't dare look up at her as he frowned at the floor. "Hey! Somebody say something!" she continued to cry. "Somebody… please…"

"We let LordKnightmon slip away," Omegamon lowered his head in shame, "And we were unable to restrain Examon. And…" he hesitantly stated, "I lost my sworn friend, Dukemon. The operation was a complete failure."

Takumi glared at his gloved hand and tried to clench it. His body still wasn't responding as he wished though so he let out a frustrated growl. "It's not… over… Not yet…!" He forced himself to stand but let out a gasp as the strain was too much.

"Takumi…" Yuuko quickly supported his weakening half-cyber body. "Let's go back to the agency and regroup for now."

Takumi shook his head as she managed to pull him to his feet. "I'm going after Arata!" he adamantly stated as tried to take a step forward without her. He nearly fell again but thankfully Yuuko refused to let go of him.

"Everyone is exhausted after fighting Examon," she told him.

The Cyber Sleuth paused at that before looking towards Nokia, Magnamon, and Omegamon. Nokia was worriedly frowning to herself while the Digimon seemed as though they could collapse at any moment. Takumi frowned to himself before realizing even Yuuko was heavily breathing as she tried to support him. The boy calmly closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them again, he reluctantly nodded. "Let's go home…" he finally decided.

* * *

Takumi turned in his seat to get a better view of the agency's television as Kyoko let the news run. "The monster that suddenly appeared in Odaiba…" the newscaster reported, "is currently flying over Tokyo, wreaking extensive havoc throughout the city. The government has issued a state of emergency, called in the armed forces, and urges extreme caution. Citizens are asked to remain calm and to not take any rash actions that might—"

Kyoko turned it off there before bringing her hand up to her mouth. "As I feared, Examon is a grievous threat."

"I'm so sorry," Nokia frowned. "We failed…"

"It's pointless to regret the past," Kyoko shook her head. "There was nothing else you could have done. Besides, all is not yet lost."

"Hm?" Takumi looked towards her.

"After analyzing Examon's movements, I found that after a period of activity, he must then always go into a resting state," the detective smiled. "A massive Digital Wave must be needed to maintain the incredible amount of data Examon has."

"You're saying Examon has terrible fuel efficiency?" Yuuko asked.

"Something like it," the woman nodded. "And while he is in this resting state, the Digital Wave fuels him, externally… via a Digital Line."

"If it's a Digital Line," Nokia knit her eyebrows together, "then it must be under LordKnightmon's control, right?"

The detective nodded as she was correct. "I believe that, by continuing to supply the Digital Waves, she's controlling the partly bugged Examon in much the same way as the Eaters. If that's the case, cutting off the Digital Wave supply ought to weaken Examon… and release him from LordKnightmon's control."

Takumi smirked as he sensed Kyoko already had a counterattack in mind. "It looks like my next mission has been decided," he nodded.

"Way to go, Kyoko-san!" Nokia smiled.

"What a swift and unprecedented recovery," Yuuko agreed. "Truly amazing," she smiled at the impressive woman.

Kyoko chuckled at their praise. "All I can offer in return is some tasty coffee!"

The three teenagers tensed up and Nokia let out a surprised yelp.

"N-no," Yuuko shook her head, "that's not what I meant at all!"

"We don't need any handicaps!" Takumi frowned at the detective. He paused and closed his eyes. "Although… that does sound like a fun challenge…"

Kyoko raised an eyebrow at the strange boy. "Unfortunately, there's no time for that now."

Takumi crossed his arms and smirked. "Of course, there isn't."

"Let's continue the discussion," the detective told them. "I traced back the flows of the Digital Waves… There's a place in Cron where the flows all overlap. I located this 'Interchange'. That is where the Digital Waves flow into the Digital Line. I'm guessing it's a control point."

"And Rie-san… I mean, LordKnightmon would be there!?" Yuuko asked.

"That is a distinct possibility."

"Then I'm going!" Yuuko urgently stated. "Please, let me go!"

"Hmm…" Kyoko brought her hand up to her mouth as she studied the raven-haired girl. "It would be a better plan to wait for Omegamon and the others to recover from their battle with Examon while we gather intelligence in the meantime. But I can see that won't stop you," she finally concluded when she noticed the determined frown on the teen's face. "I shouldn't doubt you. After all, you proved your skills quite well when you acted as Yuugo. Moving forward, you will need great battle skills. But no one is expecting you to work alone. Takumi will accompany you. All right?"

Yuuko looked over to the boy sitting across from her. "S-sure…" she hesitantly nodded.

"Understood, Kyoko-san," Takumi brought his fist to his chest and nodded.

"Excellent," the detective smiled at the pair. "The Interchange is at the back of Cron's fifth level. It's a key location for our enemy and our foe is none other than LordKnightmon. There will undoubtedly be traps you will need to keep on alert for. Exercise all due caution," she warned them.

Yuuko nodded in understanding. "Okay, Takumi," she seriously looked at him. "Let's meet in Cron. I'm counting on you."

"Hm?" Takumi blinked at her as the girl abruptly left without another word. "Yuuko…?"

"Yuuko-chi…" Nokia wore a worried smile. "She's sure gotten into a tiff."

"I don't like this…" Takumi frowned. "Anger is an extremely volatile emotion to give into."

"She's not angry," Kyoko told him. "She's eager. Now that she knows that LordKnightmon killed her father, it's a reasonable reaction from her. Still, in her state, she could easily allow herself to slip up," she said, looking towards her level-headed assistant. "Takumi, keep a close eye on her for now."

"Hmm?" Takumi blinked at the detective before understanding what it was she was asking. After a few seconds, silly smile appeared on his face. "Got it!" he nodded. "I'll follow and investigate her closely by sticking to her like glue! It'll be like I'll expose all her secrets!" When he sensed Nokia and Kyoko staring at him strangely, he let out an easy-going chuckle. "Just kidding."

Kyoko sighed as she flipped her hair. "Hmm… There seems to be a misunderstanding," she smirked at her assistant's strange behavior. "I think you need to relax, first and foremost. Huh, should we maybe try that?"

"Hm?" Takumi continued smiling as the detective stood up and started for the agency kitchen. "Where are you going?" he asked with a grin.

"My special herbal tea, featuring a blend of thirteen herbs, will help you relax," Kyoko told him from the other room. "I made some coffee with that tea in it, then added tofu, bananas, and strawberries…" Takumi and Nokia tensed up, "all of which have stress-reducing properties."

"Ah! No!" Takumi shook his head as he looked towards the TV. "I'm good! I'm heading to Cron right now!"

Nokia brought a hand up to her mouth as she gagged at the thought of having to brave Kyoko's coffee on her own. "I'm not feeling particularly stressed right now," she nervously stated. "I think I'll pass, okay? So, uh, see you later, Takumi." She quickly started for the exit. "You can do it!" she cheered him on before running away.

"N-no way! I'm out too!" Takumi tried Connect Jumping into the TV but blinked when he noticed Kyoko had unplugged the machine on her way to the kitchen. "Kyoko-san…!" his voice cracked when he realized he was trapped.

"Ah, perfect!" Kyoko smirked as she finally returned with a cup of the brew. "I hope this works!" she giggled. As she watched him choke it down, Kyoko seriously nodded to him. "I'll leave her to you… So don't let her out of your sight," she sternly stated.

The Cyber Sleuth paused at that before a serious frown appeared on his face. "Understood…"

* * *

Takumi looked around in confusion when he didn't see Yuuko anywhere in Galacta Park. "Where is she?" He paused and quickly accepted the incoming call on his Digivice. "Yuuko?"

"What were you doing, Takumi?" she frowned at him. "I waited for a while at the meeting place, but when you didn't show I went on to Cron's fifth level," she told him as she lowered her gaze. "Please, come and join me here as soon as you can."

Takumi knit his eyebrows together as the call ended. "Yuuko…" He shook his head and quickly made his way deeper into Cron until he spotted the raven-haired girl staring at a blockade preventing her from actually going in alone. "Yuuko!"

"You're late," she told him without turning around.

"Sorry, but you shouldn't have—"

"The Interchange should be beyond this area, but there's a wall preventing us from going any farther." Yuuko clenched her fists and glared at it. "There's no other way around. If we don't do something quickly, we'll lose our quarry again!"

"Alright," Takumi said as he examined their surroundings. "Calm down and we'll be able to figure this out," he told her.

"You want me to calm down?" Yuuko turned to face him with an expression of mild surprise on her face.

"Yeah, you're a bit too worked up," Takumi nodded.

"I'm worked up? Me?"

"That's right," the Cyber Sleuth continued to nod.

"My father was murdered," she reminded him. "And now I'm about to finally get my revenge," she frowned. "Of course I'm worked up," she glared at him. "What's wrong with that?"

"You won't be able to accomplish anything with such a dangerous mindset," Takumi shook his head. "Why do you think I'm here?"

"You're just worried about me?" she asked. She stared at his gentle smile before glaring at him. "I didn't ask for your concern. Please don't be worried on my account."

"Yuuko…" Takumi seriously stared back at her. "I can't help but worry. That's just a part of who I am."

"You really are a… happy-go-lucky person, aren't you?" she asked him.

"Happy-go-lucky?" the Cyber Sleuth brought his hand up to his chin. "In what way?"

"You're always surrounded by friends and smiling like a fool…" Yuuko enviously muttered. "I'm grateful how you… saved me before. But please don't put on this weird act of pretending like we're friends now. I don't know what went on inside my heart but… as far as I know, you and I are not friends."

"We're not…?" Takumi's blue eyes slightly dulled as her words stung a bit even though he knew they normally wouldn't have. He hid his frown behind his hand before cheerfully laughing at her. "Anyone who could say that to me could probably still be my friend," he stated with a shrug.

"What was that?" Yuuko continued to frown at the idiot.

"You heard me," Takumi grinned. "Good friends trust and support each other, no matter the difficulties. Even if you say things like that to me, I know deep down you don't really mean it. I understand you might still be suffering a little on your own," he slightly frowned, "but that's why I'm always ready to do whatever I can to help. Even if you say otherwise, I still say we're friends, so we're friends."

"What kind of flowery logic is that? Are you expecting to win me over with some sappy words?"

"Maybe," he cheerfully raised his fist to his chest and flashed her his biggest smile. "Is it working?"

"Huh?" Yuuko stared at him as he was an impossible opponent to deal with. "A good friend? You're so… I'm at a loss for words…"

"Well, well!" a man's voice spoke up from behind Takumi, causing the boy to tense up. "If it isn't Acting President Kamishiro! I hope you are doing well."

Yuuko looked past Takumi in surprise and gasped. "Suedou…san!?"

"What are you doing here?" Takumi asked as his grin immediately soured into a scowl. Yuuko noticed how out of place that expression was on the easy-going boy's face as he turned around to face the man. "Are you here to get in our way again?"

"Surely there's no need for such caution," Suedou smiled at Takumi. "We all know each other here, no?"

The Cyber Sleuth tightly clenched his fists. "You…!"

"Oh my, Takumi. Are you upset?" the scientist asked him. "Might it be the situation with Arata-kun that's troubling you?"

"What do you think?" the boy vehemently asked.

Yuuko quickly placed her hand on her friend's shoulder to help him calm down. "I heard about it from Takumi," she coolly told the man. "What did you do to Arata-san?"

"I merely offered him a tiny bit of… assistance," Suedou smiled, "in helping his wishes come true. Consequently, it also made my wishes come true. On the whole, it was very good for our relationship."

"That's no answer," Yuuko firmly stated as she took a step towards the man. "What the heck happened to him?"

"Let's just say I assisted in his evolution," the man nodded. "He wanted power… great power, at that. But even if such was available, there would be a limit as to how much his body could handle. Thus, I recommended assimilation with an Eater."

"So it _was_ you who changed Arata!" Takumi's eyes furiously flashed.

"He accepted my recommendation, assimilated with an Eater, and obtained great abilities because of it," Suedou's smile grew. "The Eaters prey on data to store information. Arata-kun can now absorb data and increase his power. His body is slowly being altered so that he can bear it. It appears he's gained some enhancements due to the sudden increase in his powers, but it's not anything to worry about. So just relax."

"Relax!?" Takumi cried out. "You think I can relax knowing Arata's is letting an Eater share his body!?"

The man ignored the boy's outburst and instead lifted his gaze towards the raven-haired girl frowning at them. "Yuuko-san, the data from your assimilation with the Eater was very helpful," he told her with a grateful smirk.

"Eh…!?" Yuuko brought her hands to her mouth and gasped.

"I'm glad I monitored your status on the sly," the man nodded to himself. "When it happened to you, you were completely overtaken and yet here you are… Have no concerns on that point! Adjustments were made and conditions set to clearly prioritize Arata-kun," the scientist stated.

"But even so…!" Takumi didn't lessen his glare.

"What's this?" the man frowned at the boy. "Why are you so angry? And at what?" He thoughtfully studied Takumi's furious expression. "He has undergone the evolution he wished for! You would deny him his wishes? As the real world does with its limits and impossibilities?"

"Whatever his wish is, he won't be able to fulfill it if he throws himself away so easily!" Takumi stated. "Who do you think you are using and manipulating others as you see fit?"

"Yes, I suppose you view me as someone no better than Kishibe…" Suedou sighed.

"Suedou-san…" Yuuko suspiciously glared at the scientist. "Were you aware of Rie-san's true identity? And did you help her regardless?"

"I noticed that her psyche was something other than human," the man nodded. "But there was no way I had of knowing that she was the Digimon known as LordKnightmon. Moreover, her actions have caused me quite a bit of consternation myself. She is attempting to bring about not only the end of the human race, but of the world itself. This is quite out of line with my wishes," he crossed his arms. "It's simple, reckless violence on her part. My vision is to see the evolution of our world, not its destruction. Therefore, I have a proposal for the two of you. Although our final goals may differ, at present," he knowingly smirked at Takumi, "our objectives should be aligned… Would you therefore consider a partnership?"

"A partnership… with you?" Yuuko frowned.

"Absolutely not!" Takumi outright refused, much to Yuuko's surprise.

Suedou frowned at the boy as it was unlike him to rush to such an emotionally-charged decision. "The program she is using to control Digital Waves is a program I originally wrote," he told them. "Accordingly, it would be a trivial matter for me to render it harmless. However, I would be completely helpless should LordKnightmon attack me," he smirked. "So until our objective is met, I'd like to hire you as my bodyguards. What do you say?"

"I still refuse!" Takumi adamantly glared at him.

"Takumi…" Yuuko tried to reason with the angry redhead. "A partnership sounds like a good idea for now. At the very least, he can be reasoned with. At least more than we can reason with Rie-san, who might bring about the end of the world at any moment." Yuuko flinched when Takumi cast his burning blue eyes on her. She had never seen him so angry and amount of rage he seemed to be harboring was rather unsettling. "Takumi…?"

The Cyber Sleuth continued to glare at her until he noticed the slight fear flickering on his friend's worried face. "Ah…!" He quickly brought his hand up to his forehead as he realized he had been extremely close to losing his temper. "I… I'm sorry…" He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Once he calmed down, he carefully considered their situation. Although he didn't want to accept the man's proposal, he reluctantly turned to face the scientist and brought his hand back down to his side. "As much as I want to refuse, Yuuko's right… We need you to disable the program and in return, we'll protect you from danger," he stiffly nodded.

"My, my, thank you!" Suedou smiled at the level-headed boy. "I'll be sure to not be in your way. Well, then," he nodded to Yuuko. "Let's get moving." He pulled up a terminal to begin his work and soon, the wall that had been in their way before disappeared. "Shall we proceed?" he smirked as he allowed Takumi to take the lead.

"Takumi…" Yuuko looked over towards the Cyber Sleuth but saw that he was intently frowning to himself with his eyes closed as he continued to sort through his own thoughts. She frowned to herself and decided to check to see if he was okay. "Is something wrong?"

"Hm?" he quickly snapped his eyes open and blinked at her. "Oh… No, don't worry about me," he seriously stated with a nod. "We have a job to do and that always takes precedence." He took another deep breath before focusing on the path ahead of them. "Now then… where's our target?" The Cyber Sleuth carefully examined the area around them before frowning at the dense collection of cables and information clustered near the back of the area.

"That's the Interchange!" Yuuko exclaimed in awe.

"Such incredible density!" Suedou marveled the sheer bulk of data. "For Digital Wave behavior to be visible at such a level!"

"If we make it that far, can we stop the flow?" Yuuko asked him

"Yes," the man nodded. "We just enter the shutoff command directly. Doing that will block the Digital Wave flow and should halt the supply to Examon as well."

"There are traps set up throughout the area," Yuuko noticed.

"An interference field is jamming communication with the outside, too," the scientist pointed out before chuckling to himself. "How very thorough!"

Takumi frown deepened as that meant he wouldn't be able to call Kyoko. He dismissed the thought though as he studied the terrain for traps.

"Then does that mean that LordKnightmon is hiding somewhere in this area after all?" Yuuko asked.

"I do seem to be detecting a large data mass…" Suedou pointed further into the area. "I don't know if it's LordKnightmon, but it is certainly one of the entities known as the Royal Knights."

"We might as well find out who it is for ourselves," Takumi nodded. "Hmm?" He brought a hand up to his mouth when he noticed some locked data nearby. Waving his right hand over it, he quickly scanned its contents. "It looks like the log of a hacker who passed through long ago, left as a message for hackers to come."

 _Hacker Hint: "Darkness lies ahead." If you think you're a great hacker—then you know not to underestimate what looks like nothing at all. EDEN is just a collection of data. It's easy to forget with the barrage of data sent to the avatar's five senses, but this is not a real world. A place you thought was a path can suddenly become something completely different. Darkness. It's what lies ahead. If you're a skilled enough hacker to be able to decrypt this log, you should be able to figure out what that really means._

"Darkness…?" Takumi stared at the road ahead of them. He didn't take a step as he studied how the road forked and looped together. He could see that there was more than one path to take to get to the destination but the Cyber Sleuth sensed that only one method would be acceptable.

Yuuko frowned as the boy remained as still as a statue. "Is there something wrong?"

The Cyber Sleuth brought a hand up to his mouth before he noticed a discrepancy in the floor's shading. "Hmm?" He cautiously took a step forward but tensed up as the ground suddenly opened up in to a pit.

"Takumi!" Yuuko quickly pulled him back. "Don't be so reckless!" she scolded him. She expected the boy to grin at her and crack a nonsensical joke, but she blinked when her friend continued to seriously stare at the hole in the ground. "Takumi?"

The redhead scanned the floor again as he began to absently nod to himself. "So that's what it means by 'darkness'," he muttered as he noticed how the path he didn't take was a darker hue than the path he did choose. He carefully tested his hypothesis by following the 'dark' path and when he came to fork, he carefully placed his foot on the 'light' path only to see it open up.

Yuuko smirked as it seems he found a way to avoid falling into danger. "I see…" She chuckled at the Cyber Sleuth's sharpness. "You truly are a remarkable detective."

"Not really…" Takumi shook his head as he skirted another trap. "They're just… not very effective," he stated. "Traps shouldn't really be this easy to avoid…"

"I'm certain that these wicked traps could only have been set by LordKnightmon." Yuuko brought her hand up to her mouth. "Probably in order to buy time."

"Maybe…" Takumi knit his eyebrows together as he mentally established his own theory about the traps. _For there to have been another hacker going through here before us means these traps have been present for a long time. LordKnightmon is just using the traps to her advantage. If she_ had _set the traps herself, they would be much more dangerous and effective. After all, why stall for time when you can outright eradicate your enemies when they least expect it?_ He tilted his head to the side. _Unless… she has a reason to keep us alive… Given her personality, she's extremely vindictive so there must be something she wants to prove to us before destroying us…_ "What a terrifying person…" he absently muttered aloud.

"They're underhanded as well as malicious," Yuuko nodded in agreement. "Rie-san's personality seems to be showing through." To her surprise and partial relief, the boy she was following suddenly broke out into laughter. "What are you laughing at?" the girl frowned.

"You aren't that far behind in the personality game either," Takumi chuckled. "I finally got a glimpse of the real you! That's it!" he nodded. "I'll call you Yuuko the Blackhearted!" Yuuko glared at his back but it didn't seem as though Takumi was fazed at all. "What? No comeback?" Takumi teased her as he continued forward. He turned his head back towards her as he flashed her his usual grin.

"You jerk," she muttered before following him again, thinking it was completely unlike him to tease her in such a manner. Still, it was good to see him go back to his usual easy-going self.

"Whatever you say, Yuuko the Blackhearted," the Cyber Sleuth continued to laugh. He stopped though when he spotted another locked log. "Ah…" Takumi quickly unlocked it to see what was written this time.

 _Hacker Hint: "You have nothing to lose so go for it." If you think you're a great hacker—then you won't hesitate to go anywhere, even places you thought were dangerous. We're hackers, aren't we? An 'off-limits' path or a 'secret' door? Those restrictions don't apply to us. No one can tell a hacker what to do. Even whether to go ahead or turn back, that's something you should decide for yourself. But don't forget… You have nothing to lose._

"The path ends here," Yuuko noticed as the ground ahead of them was lighter than the path they had been travelling.

 _Nothing to lose…?_ Takumi stared at the log for a while longer before sternly frowning to himself. "Sometimes to progress, you have to fall into darkness before reemerging into the light."

"What do you mean?"

"We have to enter the trap to proceed," Takumi nodded.

"Eh!?" Yuuko frowned as he carefully triggered the pitfall. "Are you sure?"

The Cyber Sleuth stood at the edge of the hole and pensively stared at it. He gulped as he could feel the something lying in wait for them. "Not really…" He took a moment to glance around the dead end again. "But there's no other path available…"

"Why are you so hesitant, Takumi?" the scientist asked as he leisurely caught up to his bodyguards. "I didn't think now of all times would be when you'd allow your resolve to waver."

"I'm not hesitating," the boy turned his head back to the man in order to give him an annoyed glare. "I'm just… thinking," he knit his eyebrows together as he cautiously eyed the trap. _What kind of trick is this? Is LordKnightmon really trying to convey something to us? If so, what is it? I don't sense any danger but… what's this uneasiness within me? This is something I have to do, so why can't I do it? What have I got to… lose…?_ His blue eyes widened as he realized what it was that was bothering him. "Ah…"

"Takumi," Yuuko frowned as she approached the edge of the pit too. "We should hurry and proceed."

"I-I know…" he nodded as he continued to stare at the gaping darkness awaiting them.

"Is something wrong?"

"Don't worry about it," Takumi quickly shook his head. "My mind went somewhere else for a while…"

"How curious…" Suedou smirked as he studied the half-cyber teen. "What could you have been thinking about, I wonder?"

Takumi tensed up and glared at the man. "It's nothing important," he huffily stated before reaching a hand up to his goggles. "Anyway, let's go, Yuuko. We're almost at the end."

The raven-haired hacker knit her eyebrows together as her friend was acting strange again, but she focused on her own goal. "Yes," she nodded as she prepared her goggles-style Digivice too. "Prepare yourself, LordKnightmon…"

"Hm? Lord…Knightmon…?" the blue-eyed boy blinked but she already took off without him. "Yuuko!" he quickly went after her as he mentally scolded himself for losing focus. Takumi stumbled through the strange darkness and winced in pain due to the turbulent Digital Waves around him. When he finally landed on solid ground, he quickly looked around before sighing in relief at the sight of his friend. _Ah… she's safe… I really almost messed up just now._ He winced as his entire body began to ache from being so close to the dense stream of Digital Waves. _I'll have to be more mindful of my thoughts and emotions… That's twice I've already almost lost focus!_ He closed his eyes and sternly frowned to himself as he sensed Suedou joining them. _It really doesn't help that_ he _has to follow us…_

"Whew!" the scientist sighed as he caught up to them once again. "We finally made it!"

"That's the Interchange?" Yuuko stared at the massive stream of data flowing upward in front of them. She and Takumi started towards their target but paused when a solemn voice began to address them.

"I've been waiting, human children." A large Digimon with purple armor and heavy spear dropped down from the sky to face them. "It is as LordKnightmon predicted," he frowned, "thanks to being among you humans for so long. I am Craniummon. I have sworn fealty to Yggdrasil. You shall not pass."

Yuuko looked around with a large frown on her face. "Where is Rie-san? Where is LordKnightmon!?"

"I need not respond," Craniummon stated as he shook his head. "You are all to perish here."

Suedou approached the large Digimon. "Ah, if I may… There's something I'd like to ask. Do you mind?"

"S-suedou-san…" Yuuko frowned at him.

Takumi crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes on the man. "What now?"

"Suedou…?" Craniummon blinked at the strange scientist. "The human who assisted LordKnightmon? The one who failed to catch on as he betrayed his own kind…" the Digimon shook his head. "How pitiful."

Suedou chuckled at the Digimon's misconceptions. "The facts are a little different than that. Well, we can quibble over trivialities later. What I mean to ask, Craniummon-san, is… Do you share LordKnightmon's desire to see our physical world destroyed?"

"Yggdrasil's will is the destruction of the human world," Craniummon stated. "I do not intend to reap the lives of other organisms."

"I see…" the man nodded. "I see, I see. Well, then, might I request your assistance?" he smiled at the Digimon.

"What!?" Takumi glared at him.

"What… do you mean?" Craniummon asked.

"I would like to prompt humanity's evolution," Suedou nodded. "Evolve our species from our pitiful, wretched existence into a form that can be appreciate the utterly beautiful world that will soon be. Once that occurs, mankind can then live side-by-side with you Digimon, without any issue, I should think." His grin grew as he continued to persuade the Digimon to join him. "What do you think? It is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to aid in the evolution of a species. There's no grander chance for an intelligent life form than this. You'd surely like to help, yes?"

"I cannot comprehend this," Craniummon shook his head. "You speak nonsense. I have no answer for you. No matter what you request, to help you would be to help the humans. That would be the same as betraying Yggdrasil's orders! You ask the impossible of me."

"What's this? Blind obedience?" Sudeou sighed and shook his head. "How foolish!"

"How dare you!?" the Royal Knight glared at him. "You would mock my fealty?"

"You have given up all thought and lack your own sense of will. That is beyond deplorable," the scientist stated. "You would halt the gears of a turning world?"

"Curse you… You go too far!" The Royal Knight thumped his spear against the floor. "It is a pride and honor to owe fealty to Yggdrasil! Mocking that is unforgivable! With my Claíomh Solais, I shall crush you and your nonsensical words!"

"My, my, I see I've angered you," Suedou carefully backed away from the Digimon. "I apologize." He returned to the two teenagers and their Digimon. "Well, then," he nodded to them. "I'll leave the rest up to you two."

"Eh!?" Yuuko blinked at him.

Takumi let out a low growl. "Oh, sure," he narrowed his eyes on the scientist. "Let us do the dirty work for you."

"I'm particularly ill-suited to roughhousing," the man smirked at the boy. He quickly ducked behind the teens as Craniummon started towards them. "Oh, dear, is he coming?"

"Just stay out of my way!" Takumi cried out as he sent his team forward to block Craniummon's attack.

"Claíomh Solais!" The Royal Knight roared as he swung his spear at them, but was suddenly stopped by a ferocious yellow lion Digimon with two over-developed fangs.

"SaberLeomon! Use your Infinity Arrow!" The Digimon nodded as he began firing the venomous hairs of his mane at the large knight. "Rosemon! Knightmon! Support him!"

The beautiful queen of flowers snapped her thorny vine at Craniummon. "Thorn Whip!"

"Berserk Sword!" Knightmon charged forward as SaberLeomon jumped back to avoid the Perfect Digimon's frenzy.

"Gaioumon, help him!" Yuuko called out to her Digimon.

"Phosphorous Fire Slash!" Gaioumon's swords glowed in an eerie flame before he sliced at Craniummon.

The Royal Knight flinched from the powerful blows before lifting Claíomh Solais above his head. He quickly began spinning it around, resulting in a high speed sonic wave. "End Waltz!"

Takumi covered his ears as he felt the wave disrupt his body. "Rosemon! Restrain him!" he cried as he tried not to double over.

"Ivy Hug!" Rosemon stabbed a vine into the ground, causing many more to rise up and bind Craniummon. The Royal Knight fought against the restraints but SaberLeomon quickly took advantage of their opponent's opening.

"Nail Crusher!" The great lion roared as he smashed his claws into the Royal Knight.

A bit dizzy from his own End Waltz and SaberLeomon's attack, Craniummon stumbled a bit before lifting his shield up to protect him from further damage. "God Bless!"

"Phophorous Fire Attack!" Gaioumon converged the light on his Kikurin swords to a point before firing the light at him the Royal Knight.

"Infinity Arrow!"

"Forbidden Temptation!" The jewel Rosemon wore lit up as she summoned multiple roses around Craniummon. The flowers released poisonous pollen that began to erode the Royal Knight.

"The Duel!" Knightmon swung a spinning blade of air at their opponent.

Although Craniummon had been completely surrounded at all four directions, he managed to deflect every attack within a span of three seconds. He quickly shook off whatever damage he did receive and lifted his Claíomh Solais again. "End Waltz!"

The sonic wave was louder and at a higher frequency this time, causing Takumi to feel a bit nauseous. Unlike before, he couldn't just shake it off. His body wanted to gag, but he quickly choked back the feeling. "Ngh…" The nausea added on top of his hurting chest finally forced him to get down to a knee.

"Takumi!" Yuuko finally noticed the Cyber Sleuth's discomfort when he collapsed. She frowned as he had been fine up until now, but before she could further work out that line of thought, she started for his side. The girl tensed up though when Craniummon managed to throw all four Digimon off of him. While the three Ultimate Digimon struggled to get up, Knightmon quickly rose to his feet to face the Royal Knight again.

Craniummon laughed at the Perfect-level Digimon. "For you to be able to rise up once again is laudable, but I have the will of my lord on my side. As a Digimon, you wish to go against the master of the Digital World, Yggdrasil, himself? You, a knight who should be loyal to LordKnightmon, the monarch of all Knightmon?"

Knightmon tightened his grip on his sword and looked back towards Takumi. _"Kare wa waga wo Baku kara tasuketa,"_ the knight boldly stated in his garbled tongue. _"Waga no aruji. Ayatsu wa aruji ja nai!"_

"So you have sworn your loyalty to the human who saved you," Craniummon nodded as he raised his spear. "Very well. We shall have a duel amongst knights for our lords. On this Claíomh Solais given to me by Yggdrasil himself, I will defeat you and your human master."

"Knightmon!" Takumi cried out as the Ultimate Digimon knocked his Perfect off his feet. The silver knight struggled to rise and swung his sword up. His Berserk Sword clashed against Craniummon's Claíomh Solais. "Knightmon! You can't outmatch an Ultimate's power!" the boy worriedly exclaimed.

 _"Zettai ni katsu!"_ Knightmon declared. _"Waga no aruji tame ni!"_

"Takumi!" Yuuko frowned as she didn't understand the boy's Digimon at all. She was about to send Gaioumon forward again, but the Cyber Sleuth held out his arm for her to stop.

"A knight's honor is derived from his faith in his master… Likewise, the master's strength is derived from his firm belief in his subjects," Takumi stated. "As your lord, Knightmon, we'll win together!" He forced his body to raise his right arm. "Don't forget that when I saved you as a Clockmon, you gave me an important power!"

Craniummon brought his spear up in preparation to throw it towards the advancing Knightmon. "Claíomh Solais!"

Takumi smirked as he activated one of his hacking programs on his Digimon. "Stealth Hide!"

Craniummon's eyes widened when both the Digimon and the boy suddenly disappeared. He searched the battlefield for them but was startled when Knightmon reappeared in front of him with his blade ready.

"Berserk Sword!" Knightmon reappeared before the Royal Knight and quickly attacked with all of his might.

Craniummon staggered as the Cyber Sleuth's Digimon overwhelmed him. It may have been that the boy had been in danger and the Digimon earnestly wished to protect him, but his attacks just then had been nothing Craniummon ever expected. The Royal Knight watched as Takumi's team hurried to the boy's side and examined him.

"G-good… Good work, everyone," he smiled to his Digimon. "You all did great." He let out a surprised yelp but laughed as Knightmon lifted him up from the ground. "You especially, Knightmon," he chuckled at the Warrior Digimon and patted his armor.

Craniummon lowered his head as he understood the knight's desire to defend his master. "To think… I could lose… And to be beaten… so soundly…" He looked up at Takumi as the boy came towards him. "My heart was rife with confusion and doubt…" he admitted. "I feared that these feelings, mere slivers though they were, could not be misgivings about Yggdrasil, or Duftmon and his companions. But indeed they were. That was my true weakness."

"Craniummon…" Takumi sympathetically frowned at him.

"You should have said something about it earlier," Suedou sighed before giving the Royal Knight a smirk. "That is something to take joy in, Craniummon-san. Possessing weakness and harboring doubts show that you do have your own free will, more clearly than anything else. That is an unmistakable change. I can positively affirm that."

Takumi scowled at the man for saying such unnecessary things. "Craniummon… You were loyal to Yggdrasil to the very end. Even if you did carry your doubts, you only did what you believed was correct," he nodded to the Digimon. "I think… the only mistake you made was letting Duftmon and LordKnightmon decide for you what you should do to serve your lord. I would have preferred it if we hadn't fought… Perhaps then, I could have shown you that your doubt wasn't a weakness, but a reason for you to discover your own way of serving your lord, without relying on Duftmon or LordKnightmon. Isn't that… what Knightmon wanted to convey to you?"

Craniummon stared between Suedou and Takumi as his body began to break down. "Feh… What a hateful, yet strangely delightful existence you humans have," Craniummon stated. "You are beyond my comprehension…"

"Craniummon!" Takumi cried out as the Digimon's data began to scatter. All that was left of Craniummon was his Claíomh Solais and the Cyber Sleuth gently placed his gloved hand on the spear. Soon it too disappeared, leaving no trace that the Royal Knight had been there at all. "Craniummon…"

"Oh my," Suedou frowned. "He disappeared. How sad…" he shook his head, "and how futile."

"Futile?" Takumi turned back to glare at the man.

Yuuko noticed how angry the Cyber Sleuth was and she had to agree with the redhead. "Your words are brazen," she frowned at Suedou. "You planned for it to go this way, didn't you?"

"I won't dispute it," the scientist shrugged it off. "The facts are the facts. Regardless, sad necessities are still sad."

"It wasn't a necessity!" Takumi shouted. "Craniummon didn't have to—" he tried to take a threatening step forward but he winced as his chest felt as though it were being ripped apart. He took in a sharp breath but didn't ease his glare on the man as he collapsed to his hands and knees.

"Oh? Is something the matter, Takumi?" Suedou raised an eyebrow at the teenager and studied the Cyber Sleuth. He looked between the boy and the Interchange before nodding in understanding. "I see… Allow me to get rid of the Digital Waves that seem to be causing you so much pain."

"Eh?" Yuuko's eyes widened as she carefully examined Takumi. "The entire time that wave was present… you were…?" She frowned as she failed to notice such a simple thing. "Takumi…"

"I-I'll… be o-okay…" Takumi knit his eyebrows together as he tried to pull himself together.

Yuuko frowned at him as she sensed that even now, he was trying to pass off that nothing was wrong. "So the reason why you were acting so strangely was because of the Interchange destabilizing your mental data…" She shook her head at him. "You should have said something!" she scolded him.

"Sorry…" the red-haired boy wryly smiled as he noticed it was getting easier for him to breathe. He slowly pushed himself back up to his feet and tried to give his friend a reassuring grin. "But I had a task to focus on more than anything. As a professional Cyber Sleuth, I couldn't allow myself to fail."

"Risking your life for an operation is both stupid and reckless!" she continued to berate him. "How can you possibly think your job is more important than your life?"

"It's not that my job is more important," Takumi shook his head. "My priorities are just… different from yours…" he lowered his gaze and frowned as he sensed Yuuko was still harboring her desires for revenge. "Kyoko-san sent me along to assist you, remember? And that's exactly what I did." Before he could allow himself to sink into his strange melancholy, he cheerfully chuckled to himself. "Things worked out in the end though, didn't it?" He paused as he remembered the results of their previous battle and balled his right hand into a fist. "For the most part, anyway…" he muttered as he resumed glaring at the scientist finishing up his task.

"Well, we've cut off the supply," Suedou stated as the Digital Wave finally dissipated. "Examon should begin to lose power." He made to leave but Yuuko quickly stopped him.

"Suedou-san, were you also involved in my father's death?" she asked. "If so, then I have to…"

"Your father's death was a tragedy," Suedou told the revenge-minded girl. "Your father's vision for EDEN was truly wonderful," he said with a smile on his face. "He was one of the very few men I have ever held real respect for. I still regret that I was unable to halt LordKnightmon's rampage. I also know the pain of losing a family member," he sighed. "This isn't the sort of event you can simply recover from…" the man lamented. "After all… nothing can change the fact that you're left behind in the end…"

Takumi felt a shiver run down his spine at the familiarity of those words. "Left… behind…?" He tensed up as the man's gaze landed on him but the boy remained silent as he glared back at him, determined to not give anything away.

"LordKnightmon said that the EDEN my father built is what brought ruin to the Digital World," Yuuko stated. "She said that my father and his children were guilty of sin! And that we shall reap what we have sown in the form of humanity's destruction," she tensed up. "Is that really true? You must know the truth of what happened!"

"Oh, that's right…" Takumi brought a hand up to his mouth. "Yamashina-san said you were involved with the beta-test eight years ago. I'm not asking you here, Suedou," the boy seriously stated. "Tell us what happened back then."

"Please desist," Suedou pitifully frowned at Takumi. "It is enough that only Arata-kun should recover his sad memories. Such painful things should remain in the past, right, Takumi?"

"What do you…?" Takumi's eyes widened as an image of a small boy crying flashed into his mind. A sharp headache came with it but he did his best to not reveal to Suedou that anything else was out of the ordinary with his body. The Cyber Sleuth knew he wasn't doing a very good job of hiding it though as the overwhelming need to cry washed over him. He stared at the scientist oddly as the man gently smiled at him. There was something familiar about all of this, but Takumi didn't know what it was. "Suedou…san…" the boy knit his eyebrows together. "Just what exactly are you trying to accomplish?"

"If my vision is ever to be realized…" Suedou sighed, "All humans will be freed from sadness. Myself, you, those you hold dear… And Arata-kun as well, of course," he said while looking at the boy staring at him with such a pitiful expression. "I must drive out grief from this world…" he sympathetically frowned at Takumi as the boy should have been able to understand his goals. "All grief, all causes of grief, and all possibilities for grief, gone for good! Humanity and the world itself will evolve, guided by my own hands!"

"Th-that's crazy…" Yuuko shook her head. "You must be insane. There's no way that's possible!"

"You're right," the scientist agreed. "It's not possible… now. This is also a sad fact. Until we meet again as I'm sure we will," he smirked at the two. With a slight bow, he quickly left.

"The end of grief?" Yuuko frowned. "The evolution of humanity? Those things simply aren't possible. He's nothing but a bratty child!" She paused as she remembered the expression on the crazed man's face. "Yet he didn't seem like he was murmuring pipe dreams… or like he was insane. I… can't understand him."

"You can't?" Takumi asked as he tried to rid himself of the immense sadness that was weighing him down. "That's… a bit surprising actually…"

"Huh?" Yuuko strangely stared at the Cyber Sleuth and noticed his expression had become oddly serious again.

He closed his eyes and sighed. "Well, even if you did understand, it doesn't change the fact that the world he's striving for would be empty and meaningless," he shook his head.

"Takumi…? Just what are you…?" Yuuko worriedly knit her eyebrows together, but Takumi was already starting for the exit without her.

"Even if I don't like suffering, it's the ability to endure and overcome it that makes us human," the boy muttered. "That's what it means to truly evolve…" He sensed a small fragment of doubt growing within him, but quickly dismissed it by thinking back to the person awaiting his return. _That's what I learned from you, Kyoko-san... I won't let Suedou prove otherwise._

* * *

"I see…" Kyoko nodded at the teens' report. "Nice work. You might have stopped the Digital Wave supply to Examon, but given his sheer data volume, we're not liable to see a big effect right away. For now, we'll have to wait and see."

Yuuko nodded at that. "I must be going then. Goodbye." She started to leave but paused as she passed the frowning Cyber Sleuth. He had been quiet for a while now and it was actually quite worrying. "Oh, and Takumi… I'm sorry for the… nasty things I said earlier," she apologized to him. "I was stuck thinking about Rie-san. I wasn't in the right headspace."

"Hm?" Takumi frowned at her as his mind had been elsewhere.

"You know, when we met… when I said all that…" she lowered her gaze.

"What about it?"

"What? You don't know what I'm talking about?" Yuuko worriedly frowned at him. "Then… never mind…"

"Honestly, if you really want to convey something to others, you should at least be honest with yourself first," Takumi told her as he brought a hand up to his chin. "How am I supposed to understand you when you don't understand yourself?"

"I said never mind! Just forget it!" Yuuko angrily told him.

"Ah…" The redhead closed his eyes. "So you're not sorry after all…" He nodded in understanding. "I see how it is…"

"You're something else, Takumi!" she pouted. "I said to forget it, didn't I?" Yuuko paused for a moment before giving him a smile. "Then I'll make you forget it. Which do you prefer? Hacking or a crowbar?"

"Eh!?" Takumi opened his eyes and blinked at her.

"So you've forgotten, then?" Yuuko cheerfully asked. "All right, then. No problem. I must be going then. Goodbye once more."

"B-bye…" Takumi nervously nodded as she walked past him.

"Hmm…" Kyoko hid her smirk behind her hand as she watched the entire exchange. "It seems as if Kamishiro Yuuko has changed somehow. Did something happen?"

"She became Yuuko the Blackhearted…" her assistant absently stated aloud.

"Oh-ho? You summoned her 'Yuuko the Blackhearted' version? Perhaps it's her doppelganger or something? No," Kyoko shook her head, "if that was the case, she couldn't talk to us. Doppelgangers can't open their mouths. Then my next guess would be bilocation. She created another copy of herself through force of will. But why? And to what end? Hmm…" she nodded to herself. "Fascinating."

"What are you talking about?" Takumi frowned at the detective.

"Or it might also be an expression of her 'persona'," Kyoko mused. "Everyone knows that she grew up wearing several different 'masks'. The daughter of a CEO, the leader of a hacker team, the unhappy girl growing up alone… It wouldn't be much of a stretch for her to use these abilities to serve her in the real world." She turned in her seat as she began pondering this new idea. "Hmm… This has gotten interesting. This is how a mystery case should be, rife with riddles," she chuckled.

"Okay, but… you're talking about a person here," Takumi sighed. "But I guess what you're saying is true. People really are a mystery. I think that's why it's such a difficult puzzle trying to get people to understand one another…" the redhead sadly frowned to himself. "It's difficult to be understanding and understandable… In the end, nobody really knows anyone, including themselves."

"Do you really believe that?" Kyoko asked him.

"No," Takumi wryly smirked as he looked up at the detective. "There's bound to be _someone_ who understands, no matter how slim the odds. Whether it's fate or luck, human or Digimon… I'm certain there's a person like that out there somewhere for everyone," he stated, bringing his fist to his chest. "That's what it means to be 'connected'."

The blonde woman smiled at his strange optimism. "That's exactly the type of answer I expect from you," she chuckled. "You seem to have your own collection of masks as well."

"Is that so?" Takumi frowned to himself. "I can't really tell… It might be because my body's getting worse though… Kyoko-san… Can you…?"

Kyoko sighed but gave him a reassuring smile to assuage his worries. "Well, we have time now so let's run another diagnostic scan. This might take a while so grab a—" she paused as Takumi already began refilling her empty cup of coffee. "Hmm," she smirked before thanking the boy with a nod. "You truly are my assistant."

"But of course," Takumi smiled back before reluctantly pouring out a cup for himself.

* * *

 **Final Notes:** So... The only thing about Yuuko I dislike is her crazy obsession with revenge. Revenge usually never works out well for me when it's out of petty or cold-bloodedness. Yuuko really did say some choice things to Takumi, but he really is too forgiving. It brought up something that bothered me about him too since I feel everyone pretty much just takes advantage of his kindness. He's not a pushover per se, but it's like he doesn't care about himself at all. In that way, I think Arata is right in that he's too soft-hearted... Well, Takumi's mentality is starting to decompose anyways... I guess if there's one part of him he wants to hold onto, it's the part of him that wishes to save his friends.


	25. Cyber Sleuth's Catnap

**Author's Notes:** And now it's time for my second favorite sidequest set. Or it could be my favorite... I don't really know... It's probably tied for first with the set containing the first food tour... That might be it... Three cases today though because I included the third DLC case here. This is actually the first time I did this DLC one because you really have to go out of your way to unlock it. For those who have trouble with it, starting the game's Chapter 16, just go to Cron's first level, a little bit past Galacta Park and you'll see the unlock scene for it.

* * *

~NAKANO'S~LEGENDARY~BUSTERS~

"So is it about time for us to strike yet?" Takumi asked as he came into the agency for another day at work.

Kyoko shook her head at him. "It's not going to affect Examon for a while. Go be productive. Take on some cases," she nodded towards the whiteboard.

"You know, these cases are getting to be a bit too easy for me now," Takumi frowned as he skimmed the whiteboard for a case worth taking. "Don't you have anything else for me to look into? Something more interesting?"

"Ego-searching isn't really my thing, but apparently now there's a Nakano bulletin board," Kyoko remembered. "Go take a look, if that's what you're into."

"Well, it beats having to do another lost item case," Takumi nodded. "I'm off!"

"Have a safe trip," the detective smirked as he left.

* * *

Takumi blinked at the information board. "This bulletin board is packed with people's grievances," he noticed. He knit his eyebrows together at the strange posts.

 _"I hear strange groans during the night."_

 _"I saw a monster's shadow inside Nakano Broadway."_

 _"Bizarre things are happening more and more! What's going to happen to us!?"_

 _"That detective agency's gotta be behind this!"_

"What?" Takumi frowned at the last one. "I'll just pretend I didn't read that last part…" he sighed. He paused though as he sensed an incoming call.

"Hey, we've got another case to tackle," Kyoko told him with a smile. "Hope you're ready for another day of hard—"

"Kyoko-san, take a look at what I found posted on the information board," Takumi quickly stated, tearing the note down from the board to show her.

"Hold on, what's this about that bulletin board?" she asked, a bit intrigued by what he found. "Hmm… So people are saying this place is taking a place for the even weirder, all right," she nodded. "Sounds like the residents have a lot of pent-up frustration that they're letting out now."

"Even so, why are they blaming it on us?"

"We definitely aren't lacking in people who've got it out for us," Kyoko chuckled. "Once you're a bad apple in their eyes, you're always one, even if you're innocent."

"Okay, but we've done a lot to help out around here," Takumi frowned.

"Let's see what we can do to clear our good name then," she nodded. "What do you say?"

"Well, we don't really have a choice, do we?" her assistant smirked as he started down the hall leading to the agency.

* * *

 _Client: Kuremi Kyoko_

 _Place: Broadway_

 _Details: This is a case from the Broadway management. There are strange rumors in Broadway. Solve them with these guys._

"These guys…?" Takumi blinked. "Kyoko-san…?" He turned to ask her about who she meant but looked up at the door when a group of familiar high school students came in.

"Hi!" Mei smiled.

"Hey there, Mei-kun," Kyoko crossed her arms and smiled at the Occult Club President. "You're early today."

"Of course! When we heard you had something intriguing to share with the club, how could we not rush on over!?"

"Mei, calm down," Manaka frowned at her. "You sound a little overeager."

"Sorry, detective," Kenji apologetically bowed. "She's just a little worked up."

"That's Mei for you!" Lily smiled. "And I wouldn't have it any other way!"

"And I see it's all the same gang from our Shibuya Hirasaka experiment earlier as well," Kyoko noticed as the entire club was here. She chuckled. "Color me surprised to see you all still part of the occult club. It takes guts to stay around after what happened in Shibuya."

Kenji nervously laughed at that. "That's all on Mei. After that experiment, she really started devoting herself to running he club. She's practically on fire!"

"Yep!" the brunette nodded. "I owe it to you all now that I know there really are strange mysteries like that lurking around in the world!"

"Just don't say I didn't warn you if you get caught up in something serious one of these days!" Lily told her.

"Oh, I'm doing this research precisely to prevent that from ever happening!" Mei stated. "You have to know what you're up against to survive! Everyone knows that!"

"Um…" Takumi frowned. "Sure, but… you're not supposed to actually seek out the danger yourself…"

"Anyway…" Kyoko smirked as they were getting off topic. "I'm sorry to call you all out here when you're so busy as it is."

"No, it's perfectly fine, I promise!" Mei nodded. "When we hear the occult is afoot somewhere, we can't help but come running as fast as we can! That's our job as the Inoden Occult Research Club!"

"Heh, well I appreciate your vigor," the detective nodded. "Still, that being said… Tokyo has more than its fair share of occult phenomena going on these days. So why bother coming over to our neck of the woods?"

"Uh, well," Lily paused, "when you put it like that…"

"Isn't it obvious?" Kenji asked. "Nakano is leagues apart from anything else you could call an occult mecca around here!"

"Exactly!" Mei agreed. "I couldn't have put it better myself, Kenji! That's just what I'd hope for out of the vice president!" she smiled at him.

Kenji sheepishly chuckled as his face went red. "Aww, Mei…"

"Yeesh, Kenji," Manaka frowned at him. "You're not exactly doing us any favors getting her all hyped up even more, y'know."

"Well, what I said is still true!" the tall boy exclaimed. "All sorts of weird, unusual things go down here in Nakano! I mean, there's the Bleeding Mural that's said to have blood gushing out of mouths and eyes in the lobby on the first floor, for starters. Then there's the Skeleton Pool, home to a pile of abandoned corpses that turned to bones overnight. Rumor also has it that late at night there are people clad in white flying over the roof while holding a Hidden Sabbath. And then you've also got the mysterious Fish Rains that have poured down over Nakano for ages, foretelling imminent misfortune…" The boy crossed his arms and nodded. "All of those things remain unsolved, so naturally—"

"Funny you should mention those specifically," Kyoko chuckled, "because I actually solved them all already," she nodded.

The entire club stared at her in surprise and it took Kenji a moment to speak. "What!?" he asked. "You did!?"

"You already solved them!?" Mei gasped.

"What's this 'already' talk?" Kyoko asked, crossing her arms at them. "This is my home base and as a detective, if you tell me something weird is up, of course I'm going to look around. That's all long in the past."

"Aww…" Mei frowned in disappointment.

The detective chuckled at them. "Why the long face? I didn't say this case wouldn't be up your alley," she smirked. "As for your reward this time around… How about I give you guys my file with all the so-called 'supernatural' cases I've worked on?"

"Oh, then, of course we'll do it!" Mei brightened up at that. "Tell us more!"

"That's the spirit!" Kyoko nodded in approval. "I fully intend to make use of your club's unique expertise for today's case. As we've already discussed, Tokyo has become a real hotbed for the supernatural and it goes without saying that Nakano is no exception. The reports and complaints I've been getting from other tenants don't look to be letting up anytime soon and so they've asked me to solve some. But even with my assistant on board," she nodded towards the redhead who was staring off into space, "there are just too many for us to handle by ourselves." She raised an eyebrow when Takumi didn't really respond with his usual look of surprise, but she continued with the case brief. "There are essentially four different odd phenomena going around here that I want you guys to solve with your passion and young sensibility," she told the club.

"Four oddities…" Kenji considered this for a moment. "Okay, go on."

"First, I want to figure out what's behind Three-Legged Matthew, who wanders around these parts in search of something…" Kyoko began. "Then, I want you to look into the Kata Kata, who roams the floors of Nakano Broadway… After that, go look into the Reaper Elevator, which ascends from the basement to the fourth floor at 2 AM… And last, but certainly not least, see what you can find out about Master Tip Tap, a spirit."

"Ooooh, these all sound great!" Mei eagerly nodded. "This is going to be lots of fun to work on!"

Kyoko crossed her arms and smirked. "I've given these legends their names based on eyewitness accounts I've heard… Now it's on you guys to solve Nakano's urban legends, all right? What do you say? Will you go for it?"

"Okay!" Mei turned to her friends. "This is so exciting! I can't wait to get started! Everybody, we're heading to K-Café to formulate our plan on the double!"

"Mei, wait up!" Kenji called out to her as she left.

"Those two sure can't contain themselves…" Lily noted

"Well, we better indulge them and head on over," Manaka sighed. "Not like we have much of a choice…"

Kyoko watched the group of high school students leave before turning to Takumi who was still blankly staring at the empty client couch. "Don't think you get to take it easy now," she told him as he tensed up.

"H-huh!?" Takumi blinked at her as his blue eyes finally refocused on her. "What? What's going on…?"

"You're joining up with them, too," she nodded.

"Um…" he frowned as he tried to remember his task. "R-right. I'll head over to… um… K-Café?" He nodded to himself. "Right, K-Café. I'm off!" He flashed the woman a smile before leaving the agency too.

Pete frowned at how strange Takumi had been acting. "Uh, this might be a bit awkward to ask, but… I've noticed Takumi kind of just zones out sometimes. Is everything all right?"

"It's nothing too severe right now," Kyoko seriously stated, bringing a hand up to her mouth to hide her concerned frown, "but I can tell things are starting to get unstable with Takumi's body. His control over his own data is slipping, hence his emotional outbursts and loss of focus. Really, he no longer seems to be aware of these changes anymore, leading to gaps in his short-term memory." Kyoko knit her eyebrows together as it all seemed to be affected by his mood, resulting in her assistant's mentality to decline even further.

* * *

Takumi brought a hand up to his forehead and closed his eyes. "Why am I coming to work so early again?" He shook his head and opened his eyes when he remembered. "Right, I'm working a case… It's for the Occult Research Club…" he paused and frowned to himself. "No… my client is… Kyoko-san." He nodded as he tried his best to focus. "Kyoko-san wants me to look into the strange things happening in Nakano with the Occult Research Club," he reminded himself. "Right," he nodded. He continued into the empty building and noticed the club members were already gathered.

"Well, now that we're well into the night," Mei began with a smile, "our time has finally come to spring into action!"

Manaka looked around the empty mall. "Since we're here, might as well start on the first floor."

Lily tilted her head to the side. "We're going through every floor and checking whether these strange things are actually taking place, right?"

"Right," Kenji nodded as he crossed his arms. "Since the reports of Three-Legged Matthew seem to center around this floor, we'll start with that for now and go from there."

Mei giggled with anticipation. "All right, then let's get to work!" she cried before chuckling some more.

Everybody began to split up to take post at various points on the first floor. Takumi looked around as he realized he had been tasked with patrolling the area to make sure everything was fine between each member of the club. He took a deep breath before beginning his work.

"Hey, Kenji-san," he nodded at the vice president standing by the escalator. "Remind me again what it is we're looking out for?"

"Three-Legged Matthew," the boy told him. "Have you heard of him?"

"No," Takumi shook his head.

"I figured out a little of Three-Legged Matthew's backstory," Kenji smiled. "So get this… Thirty years ago, there was this popular 'Anita' doll whose clothes you could swap out. Matthew was another doll who was her ex-boyfriend. Originally, he was described as being her fiancé but another male doll that showed up later, Lance, a diplomat, became popular. At some point, Lance and Anita got hitched and Matthew was relegated to the ex-boyfriend position."

The Cyber Sleuth blinked at him. "Is that it?"

Kenji frowned at him. "To be honest, that's all I got. You'll have to talk to Mei for the rest of it."

"Alright," Takumi nodded as he started for the back entrance.

"I wouldn't go that way if I were you," Kenji warned him. "It's just a bad direction to head in at this hour…"

"Hm?" the redhead raised an eyebrow at the Occult Club's Vice President. "Okay then…" He decided to take his advice and started down the other hallway leading to the agency. "Thank… I guess…" He spotted Mei studying Mirei's consultation booth. "Mei-san," he approached her. "Kenji-san just told me about Matthew's back story, but what's this about Lance?"

She brightened as she recalled the story. "It turns out there's an epilogue of sorts to Matthew's story… After he lost Anita to Lance, Matthew went insane and attacked Lance, chopping his body up and sending the pieces to Anita. But things didn't go entirely according to plan when he tried to send the final piece to her, a single leg. Because as it turned out, Anita was putting Lance's body back together using forbidden dark magic!" she exclaimed. "What Matthew did in response was attach that final leg to his own body… ostensibly in an effort to ensure Lance could never be revived. Ever since, he's apparently been walking around with much difficult on his three legs, roaming here and there… Forever searching for memories of the good old days he and Anita once had…"

"Hmm…" Takumi blinked at her before nodding to the girl in thanks. "I see. That's how the story goes… I'd better check up on Lily and Manaka then." He started towards the elevators and noticed the high school girl wearing a maid uniform.

Lily giggled to herself as she looked towards Manaka by the back entrance. "You know, I think Manaka and Kenji make a cute pair, don't you?" she asked Takumi. "Oh, but don't tell them I said that, okay?"

"Shouldn't you be keeping lookout?" Takumi asked her. There didn't seem to be anything for her to report so he decided to move on. "Manaka-san," he called out to the other girl. "Did you notice anything?"

"Nakano Broadway at night feels really creepy…" she frowned in response. "I mean during the day, there are some floors I don't like visiting, but this is something else."

"Hm," the redhead shook his head. "It doesn't look like we'll be seeing Matthew then." He looked up when he saw Mei and Kenji coming towards them.

"Nothing really out of the ordinary here…" Mei frowned.

"Nope," Takumi nodded in agreement.

"All right, then onto the second floor!" Lily stated.

The teenagers went up the stairs and Kenji crossed his arms. "Now to turn our attention to Kata Kata…"

"Well, time's a wasting…" Mei smiled. "Off we go!" she chuckled.

Lily and Manaka dispersed but Takumi kept Kenji and Mei for a little while. "Um… What's Kata Kata?" Takumi asked with a frown.

"From what I can tell," Mei told him, "Kata Kata is derived from the famous Teke Teke legend. Teke Teke is an apparition who lost her feet in a train accident. She can travel up to 150 kilometers per hour with just her arms, laughing as she pursues people."

"The name Teke Teke supposedly comes from the sound she makes when she moves with her arms," Kenji added. He paused for a moment before wearing a confused frown. "So where does Kata Kata come from?"

"Kata Kata is probably an altered form that Teke Teke came to adopt after many years…" Mei shrugged.

"I can see that," Takumi nodded as he started for the elevator. "Teke Teke…" he muttered. "A spirit who can travel at high speeds with just her arms…"

Manaka blinked at him at the mention of that story. "I don't think anybody up against a spirit that could go 150 kilos per hour would have any hope of escaping. If you bump into it, it's game over," she shivered.

"Well, it is scary…" Takumi mused.

Lily giggled at that. "Manaka's such a fraidy cat, but she still loves it when Kenji talks about occult stories all passionately and stuff!"

"Seriously, shouldn't you be a bit more serious about this?" Takumi asked the maid. He paused as Mei sighed behind him.

"Nothing to report here either…" the club president shook her head.

"Yep," Manaka nodded. "Let's make out way up to the third floor.

"What'll we run into up here, I wonder!?" Mei asked as they arrived on the next floor. She brightly smirked as she sent her friends to investigate. "Only one way to find out… Let's split up and get to work, everyone!" she chuckled.

"Right…" Takumi nervously frowned. He sighed when he spotted Lily pulling Manaka away with her. "What are you doing now?"

"Hey, Manaaakaaa," Lily smirked as she continued teasing her friend. "How are things going with you and Kenji? How far have you two progressed!? Tell me! Tell me!"

"Ugh, you seem totally bored, Lily…" Manaka frowned. "You're just spouting weird stuff now."

"What better time is there to talk about love than the middle of the night!?" Lily asked.

Takumi shook his head as he decided to go check on Mei or Kenji instead. Turning around the corner leading to the bookstore, he jumped when Kenji called out to him. "Oh, hey! I think I figured out why she's called Kata Kata!" Kenji exclaimed. "Kata Kata originally lost her legs after falling onto train tracks in Hokkaido… So maybe her name comes from the sound teeth make when chattering…"

"Huh…" Takumi blinked at how oddly random that was. "That's weird…" He shrugged it off though as he started for the food vendors. He longingly stared at the closed ice cream parlor before he noticed Mei staring at him strangely. "Sorry!" he tensed up. "I'm just a bit hungry…" He shook his head. "Anyway, did you remember something else about Kata Kata?"

Mei crossed her arms and thought about it. "If you happen to meet Kata Kata, she'll ask, 'Need your legs'? And if you don't give her the right response, she'll run off with yours."

"How are you supposed to answer her?" Takumi asked.

"What's the right response? It's 'I'm using them right now'," Mei answered with a nod. "She's surprisingly cooperative, it turns out…"

"That's… also random…" the Cyber Sleuth knit his eye brows together. He noticed Mei was looking pretty disheartened. "Is something wrong?"

"Wh-why isn't there anything special happening tonight!?" she asked. "We've got one more floor to go… Surely there's something to find up on the fourth floor! Come on, let's head for the elevator!" She grabbed the boy's arm and dragged him to the elevator as the rest of the club members regrouped. "All right, come to us, o' Reaper Elevator!" Mei exclaimed. "Make thyself known before us!"

Takumi stared at the elevator for a while before checking the time on his Digivice. "It's past 2 AM now…" he said with a yawn.

"Why!?" Mei shook her head. "Why isn't anything showing up!? I called out to it and everything, but there's no sign of it appearing at all!" Takumi jumped as the girl began jumping up and down in a tantrum. "This suuuucks! I hate it! I just wanna see the Grim Reaper at least one in my lifetime! Is that too much to ask!?"

"You do know what type of wish that is, right…?" Takumi frowned at her.

"Mei, it's okay!" Kenji tried to calm her down. "There's still hope! Just keep it together! Just keep it together!"

"Wow," Lily blinked at Mei, "I never took her to be the type to throw a tantrum when things go poorly…"

"Mei, we're getting worried about you," Manaka frowned. "Why don't we take a little break at K-Café?" she suggested. "When we met up earlier yesterday afternoon, the owner said it was fine to use it as a break room. It shouldn't be locked."

"She's not going to listen to reason…" Kenji sighed.

"I'm in favor it of it," Lily raised her hand. "I'm beat! I could use a rest after all that investigating!"

"We caaaan't!" Mei whined. "There's still Master Tip Tap to check! We have to check everything again, top to bottom! There has to be something here! I just know it!"

"All right, we get it!" Lily cried out in exasperation. "Let's just go inside K-Café for a bit so we can reassess the situation. Sound good to you?"

* * *

"There's nothing heeeere!" Mei complained as she took a seat. "No ghosts, no spirits, nothing! Nothiiiiiing!"

"Oh, cheer up!" Lily told her. "Since when does the good stuff ever happen on the first day you do this sort of work?"

"Waaa…" the president cried. "I just wanna see Matthew… Kata Kata… the Reaper Elevator… and Master Tip Taaaapppp!"

"It's okay, Mei, really!" Kenji tried consoling her again. "I'm sure something will come along soon!"

"Really…?" she asked him. "You sure?"

Manaka suddenly let out a scream.

"Hmm?" Lily turned towards her. "What's wrong?"

"Don't you guys… hear it?" Manaka asked.

They all paused before hearing a loud clank from next door. "You're right…" Kenji nodded. "Is that the elevator?"

"M-maybe it's Kyoko-san?" Manaka nervously pointed out.

"But she's not the only resident here…" Lily stated. "Who could it be? Wait, maybe it's a cop!" she tensed up.

"That sound just now…" Kenji thought about it. "Did the elevator just arrive on this floor?"

"It must have!" Mei exclaimed as she rose from her seat. A renewed smile appeared on her face. "It's the Reaper Elevator! It came! I knew it was real all along!" The kids tensed up as they heard an ominous tip-tap sound coming towards them. "Oh my god, that sound… Is that Master Tip Tap!?" the club president asked.

After a while, they heard a chattering kata-kata noise. "But now it's a different sound…" Kenji nervously whispered. "Don't tell me it's—!" He, Lily, and Manaka let out a terrified scream as the door to K-Café opened.

Takumi quickly snapped out of his stupor. "Hm? Is something happening?" He blinked when he saw a mysterious old man screaming at the sight of the teens.

Mei stared at the strange man in stunned silence. "Wait, was that… somebody's voice?"

The old man looked around the café in confusion. "What, what, what's going on!? What are you kids doing in here!?"

"W-we could ask the same question!" Lily told him. "Why are you here so late!?"

"Late?" the old man knit his eyebrows together. "Missy, it's morning already! I always come in here to relax around this time!"

"Huh!?" Lily glanced at the clock. "But it's not even four yet!"

"Well, actually…" Manaka placed her hands on her hips. "It makes sense. My grandpa tends to get up really early, too…"

"Oh, I get it now…" Kenji nodded. "That's why the K-Café owner had this place unlocked. It's so this guy can use it." He looked over towards Takumi and noticed he was blankly staring at the old man. "Hey, Takumi… What's wrong?"

"Hm?" Takumi tilted his head to the side. "His cane…"

"Huh?" Mei looked at what the redhead was referring to. "Wait, am I seeing what I think I am!?" she gasped. "Is that a third leg…?"

"What?" the mysterious old man frowned at her. "What are you blathering about now?" he asked as his teeth clattered.

"Those dentures…" Mei frowned. "Are they making that chattering noise because they're misaligned? You also came from the elevator…" she mused. Her eyes widened as she finally realized something. "Which would make you the Reaper!?"

"Hey, who are you calling a reaper!?" the old man cried.

"Then the tapping sound must have come from…" Mei shook her head and let out a cry. "Nooooooo! You mean to tell me that this old guy is the one behind all of the local urban legends here!?" She began to shake. "You have to be… You have to be kidding… Oh…"

Takumi closed his eyes and sighed. "Mei's mournful cries could be heard all throughout the building that night…" he logged into his the audio report in his Digivice. He blinked as noticed his record was running a bit longer than he realized. "Hmm? I don't remember recording all this. Did this all really happen during the case…?" He shrugged it off. "Well, the evidence doesn't lie."

* * *

"So, it looks like you guys came through and solved all of the mysteries," Kyoko gave them a pleased smirk. "I couldn't have asked for a better end result than what you found out!"

"What's so good about it?" Mei grumpily asked. "It was all just because that old guy takes early morning walks…"

"Perhaps," Kyoko chuckled as she rested a hand on her hip, "but as they say, 'Truth is stranger than fiction'. Get real here. Who could have ever seen any of this coming?"

"Uh… um…" Mei blinked as the woman had a point.

"Let me ask you something," the detective continued. "While you were out running around solving mysteries, what were you picturing inside your head? Did you see things in pitch dark? Did you hear things in deafening silence? Personally, in my opinion, I'd say such strong human imaginations are key to engaging in supernatural research."

"Hmm…" Lily frowned. "I feel like I kind of get it, but don't at the same time…"

"Those are just my own thoughts of the matter," Kyoko stated. "Don't read too deeply into them. Hopefully, having reached the conclusion that you guys have, it's given you some things to think about individually." She crossed her arms and nodded to the stack of folders on the coffee table. "Now, as promised, I believe I have my files to hand off as your rewar—"

"Those won't be necessary," Kenji cut her off. "We'll solve those other mysteries ourselves through our own efforts." He looked to his club with a nod. "Our own efforts… and our boundless passion and imagination!"

"Oho," Manaka smiled at him. "That's a fantastic attitude to have."

"Wow, Kenji," Lily smirked, "that's actually kind of cool of you to say that!"

"Perhaps I was out of line, then," Kyoko nodded. "If you insist that much, then I won't worry about—"

"Oh no," Mei quickly placed her hand the folders. "We'll still gladly take them off your hands, detective!"

"Oh?" Kyoko blinked at her.

"What are you saying, Mei!?" Manaka frowned at their president. "Haven't you been paying any attention to what's going on!?"

"So!?" the glasses-wearing brunette turned to her. "Do you mean to tell me you're not even a little interested in what's inside those files!? Really, Manaka!?"

"Uh, well…" Manaka lowered her gaze. "Maybe just a little…" she sheepishly admitted.

"If you aren't, then I'll just go ahead and read them by myself!" Mei declared as she grabbed the top file and left.

"Hey, that's no fair!" Manaka cried out before chasing after her.

"Man," Kenji sighed, "and here I was thinking I was acting cool for once, too…"

"Aww, Kenji, you did great!" Lily tried to console him. "Don't let this get you down! Just try harder next time!" she giggled. "Well, I'm gonna take off now! Catch you two later!" she politely bowed to the detective and her assistant before both high school students left.

"Looks like it's just the two of us again, Takumi," Kyoko chuckled before turning to look at the smiling teenager standing at her side. "I didn't expect them run off with only one of my files! Either way, we can now report back to the other tenants that those issues have been taken care of. Hopefully that'll improve our standing a little. Those occult club kids are something, though… They're growing up so fast." She gave Takumi a fond smile at how much he's grown too. "Maybe one of these days they'll start to be friendly rivals of yours. That'd be fun, right?"

"Rivals?" Takumi laughed. "Now that's a thought!" After a while he blinked at the detective with a confused expression on his face. "Um… Who exactly are we referring to again…?"

Kyoko sighed as she wondered what she was going to do with her assistant.

* * *

The mysterious old man frowned as he stood in front of a wall in K-Café. "What makes me drag my old bones out here every morning, I wonder…?" he asked himself. "This place feels real nostalgic to me for some reason, but I can't pinpoint the reason why." He blinked when the image of a blue and white cat appeared to him through the wall. "What the!?" Pete blinked at the old man in alarm before quickly taking off to the detective agency. The old man continued to stare at the small critter in surprise. "Miko…"

* * *

"How are you feeling now?" Kyoko asked Takumi after she ran yet another diagnostic on him.

"Better…" he nodded as he opened his eyes. "I'm sorry for all the trouble, Kyoko-san…" he gave her an apologetic smile. "Do you still want me to write up a report for the case?"

The detective shook her head and gently smiled at him. "It's a good thing you've decided to keep recordings of your cases. I'll just write it up myself considering I have a better understanding of what happened than you at this point."

"I'm sorry…" the boy frowned at his body.

"Don't be," she put him at ease. "It's not something you can control." She leaned back in her seat and chuckled to herself. "It's always interesting how mysteries often lead and tie into one another… but I digress. Great work as always. Get ready for another case soon.

* * *

~NAKANO~DIGIMON~FESTIVAL~

While making his usual rounds looking for usable avatar data through Cron and training his team, Takumi noticed a pair of Digimon talking to each other a little bit past Galacta park. A pink bird his Digivice identified as a Piyomon ecstatically spoke to a smaller Pukamon. "I heard there's going to be some big festival for us Digimon!"

The Pukamon tilted its head to the side. "Actually… I don't know what a festival is. But it sure sounds fun whatever it is!"

Takumi's Digivice began to ring and he quickly answered it. Kyoko suddenly appeared on his screen and nodded to him in greeting. "Hey, it's me. We've got a new case I think you'll love for sure," she smirked at him.

"Hmm?" Curious, the boy tilted his head to the side. "What's it about?"

"As for details…" the woman chuckled. "Come back and we'll talk."

* * *

 _Client: Tentomon_

 _Place: Ueno Museum_

 _Details: I'm planning an event for the Digimon! Let's make it even more exciting! Help me, Takumi!_

Takumi blinked at the note before looking up at the rather sizable red ladybug-like insect hovering over the client's sofa. "Takumi!" the Digimon nodded to him. "Great to see ya here! M'name's Tentomon! I can't tell ya how grateful I am to be having ya help me out, really! I'll spare ya the formalities and just cut right to the chase, yeah? See, I'm putting together a big shindig, ya might say. I'm calling it the 'Digimon Festival'! Or 'DigiFest' for short. And I want the one and only Takumi here as our guest of honor! That's… basically why I filed a case with ya. With yer help, I just know the festival will be a huge success! So what do ya say? Ya in or ya in?"

"Eh…?" Takumi tilted his head to the side. "Why me?"

"Don't tell me ya don't know!" Tentomon stared at the legendary Cyber Sleuth in surprise. "Takumi, buddy, yer a regular celebrity among us Digimon!"

"R-really?" Takumi blushed as he sheepishly scratched his cheek.

The Digimon nodded his head. "Yer nice to us. Ya talk with us. Ya even help us out when we're in a bind! Doesn't hurt that ya hang tight with the Royal Knights, either." Tentomon smiled at the famous teen. "Basically, ya just happen to be a real good detective we can count to solve our problems. Yer reputation ain't nothin' to sneeze at, y'know. So havin' someone like yaself at the festival's bound to help make it feel as big and important as it should! Yer an important piece of the puzzle!"

"That makes sense," the redhead nodded, "sort of…"

"I just figure the festival could be a good way for us Digimon to relax a little while and not worry about Eaters or humans for once," Tentomon stated.

"Heh," Kyoko crossed her arms and smiled at her assistant's growing fame. "It's amazing the sheer variety of clients we attract these days. Taking on this case can only mean more exposure… and more clients!" her eyes glowed. "So I say we'd better take Tentomon up on this little proposition and see where it takes us," she nodded.

Takumi blinked at her in surprise. "You think so?" He noticed her mischievous smirk and mentally sighed to himself. "Alright, I understand, Kyoko-san." He turned towards Tentomon and nodded. "I suppose I'll accept the case then."

"Awesome, then it's decided!" Tentomon exclaimed. "I can't thank ya enough fer doin' this! I'll meet ya over at Ueno Museum once yer ready to get started."

Takumi placed his hands on his hips as his client left. "So I'm a famous Cyber Sleuth, huh?" he raised an eyebrow at the turn of events.

"You seem surprisingly unenthusiastic," the detective noticed with a frown.

"Hm?" Takumi blinked at her in surprise. After a while, he quickly averted his gaze. "W-well… A festival sounds nice and all, but I'd really rather be doing something more productive, like training my team or completing a more urgent case."

"But this _is_ urgent," Kyoko reminded him. "We need to expand our clientele base," she smirked. "What better opportunity for that than a publicity stunt from the famed Cyber Sleuth himself?"

"It looks like I don't have a choice in the matter," the red-haired teen sighed. "I guess a quick appearance wouldn't hurt. Well, Kyoko-san, I'm off to meet my fans then."

"Have a safe trip," the detective smirked as he left.

* * *

All of the Baby II Digimon stared at the red-haired human as he suddenly appeared before them. "Whoa!" Tanemon brightly looked up at Takumi, surprised she was able to witness his Stealth Hide firsthand. "It's Detective Goggles! I've heard so much about you!"

Her friend Mochimon jumped up and down. "I'm so excited! You're gonna fight with us today, right? Right!?" he eagerly asked the Cyber Sleuth.

"Fight?" Takumi asked as he brought a hand up to his chin.

"Hey, Takumi!" Tentomon called out to his guest of honor. "Glad to see ya made it in one piece!"

"Tentomon!" the boy blinked at him.

"Now that yer here, the DigiFest has officially begun!" the happy Digimon exclaimed. "Our first event with be the 'Digimon Battle Royale'!"

"Yaaaaaay!" an Elecmon excitedly jumped. "Wahoo!"

The Otamamon standing beside him nodded in anticipation. "You better be ready, 'cause I'm not gonna lose!"

"W-wait!" Takumi cried out in surprise. "I'm going to be fighting…!?"

"Oh yeah, I should, uh, explain what's going on to ya here, huh?" Tentomon chuckled.

"Well, yeah," the boy nodded, placing his hands on his hips.

"We heard about how ya took Hackmon under yer wing and helped him evolve and even become a dyed-in-the-wool Royal Knight!" Tentomon's eyes shone in admiration. "All of us really admire and look up to the Royal Knights! Once we heard the rumors about Hackmon, everyone wanted to battle you!"

A nearby Syakomon nodded in agreement. "We wanna train with Detective Goggles so we can be Royal Knights one day, too!"

"Knowing that," Tentomon nodded, "I thought it'd be fun to set up an attraction where you go around challenging a bunch of Digimon! Ya'll play along, yeah?"

"Alright, sure," Takumi shrugged. "It doesn't sound too bad." _I could probably use the extra training._

"Ya will!?" the insect Digimon exclaimed in surprise. "I knew ya would! That makes me so happy to hear that! It'll definitely make everyone's day for sure!" He turned towards the Digimon gathered for the festival. "Then without further ado, let's get the Digimon Battle Royal rollin'! Head on ahead to meet yer fearsome challengers!" he told Takumi.

"Let's do this, everyone!" Takumi exclaimed before wandering around and checking out the Digimon Festival.

A Gazimon quickly came up to him asking for his autograph. "I've heard a lot of rumors about how strong you are," he told the boy, "so you'd better not disappoint me!"

"Come on, come on!" Elecmon shook in anticipation. "Hurry up so we can go fight already!" he told his friend Lalamon.

"Lalalala~" the pink plant-like Digimon sang. "Battling is fun and all, sure, but what do you say we have a singing contest instead?"

Takumi chuckled at that before kneeling at a Wormmon running up to him. "When we fight, I'm gonna win and evolve!" the small green insect declared. "I just know it! 'Impossible' isn't a word that's in my dictionary… except for now! But otherwise no!"

"I wish you luck then!" Takumi nodded to him.

An Otamamon nearby frowned to herself. "Maybe if I grow up to be super strong like the Royal Knights, I can go back home to the Digital World sometime…"

Tanemon nodded in agreement. "I wonder what Digimon I'll become once I evolve?"

A Mochimon sneezed and rubbed his nose. "Bleh, I think I've caught a cold," he frowned. "Maybe I shouldn't fight today…"

"Hey," Syakomon frowned at him, "hurry up and get over your cold already."

Takumi continued deeper into the museum and spotted a Punimon jumping towards him. "Woooow, it's Detective Goggles! I can't believe you're really here!"

The Cyber Sleuth was stopped a few more times by the fascinated Digimon, but he eventually made it to the upper landing of the museum. He was about to head deeper within the Digital Shift but paused when Tentomon began narrating a story behind him. "Dark times have fallen upon the Digital World…" the Digimon ominously stated. "Our hero, Takumi, sets foot in U'Eno, a land in ruin, ruled by the terrible Dark Lord…"

"Huh…?" Takumi blinked and turned towards the insect Digimon in confusion.

"Oh, don't mind the narration!" Tentomon motioned for the boy to keep going. "Everyone just loves a good story to set up fights! This one's meant to be like a fantasy story or some such. Anyway!" The red insect cleared his throat and continued. "Consumed by evil powers, a band of dark evolved Digimon ambushed the unlucky Takumi!"

"Ambushed?" Takumi placed his hands on his hips before turning to face the Kuwagamon and Bakemon standing in front of him.

"We challenge you to a fiiiiight!" Kuwagamon stated.

"Yes!" Bakemon nodded. "A fight with the Terrifying Trio of U'Eno!"

"Trio?" Takumi tilted his head to the side.

"Hey, wait!" a squeaky voice called out. "Hold on!" Takumi blinked at the adorable Patamon running to join his two friends. "Huff… Huff…" he panted before smiling at Takumi. "Whew, I made it!" He jumped up and flapped his ear-wings. "That makes three! We're the Terrifying Trio of U'Eno!" Patamon declared.

"I'm Devil Kuwagamon!"

"I'm Evil Bakemon!"

"And I'm Dark Patamon!"

Takumi stared at the trio before a silly smirk appeared on his face. "So… cute…" He fought against his urge to snicker at the adorable winged hamster challenging him to a fight.

"Y-you just laughed, didn't you!?" Patamon asked. "I might still just be a Child Digimon who can't seem to evolve, but…" he stared at Takumi with determined blue eyes, "But that changes here! I'll beat you here and finally evolve! You'll see!"

The Cyber Sleuth tried to become serious. "Alright! Show me what you've got!"

"Air Shot!" Patamon's small body inflated before he spat out the compressed air at the redhead.

"Brave Shield!" BlackWarGreymon quickly defended Takumi as Darkdramon rushed forward from behind him.

"Dark Roar!" Darkdramon was careful to avoid a direct shot, but the powerful ball of dark energy exploded above Patamon's head, causing the small Child Digimon to fall.

"Hell's Hand!" Bakemon unleashed a decaying hand from underneath his cloak to grab the blue Cyborg Digimon to sent up an attack by Kuwagamon.

"Body Blow!" the large red beetle tried to ram the Ultimate.

"Mega Twister!" SaintGalgomon cried as he picked up both Adults. The super-gigantic Cyborg rose into the air and spun rapidly before lightly dropping his opponents to the ground.

Patamon frowned as they had been quickly defeated. "Ow…" he struggled to rise. "I still can't evolve. Why…? Why is it so hard for me? Nobody else has this problem!"

"Oh, worry not about your loss today, fair Digimon," a familiar voice spoke up.

Takumi blinked and looked around. "Nokia…!?"

"Why, look!" Tentomon exclaimed as another human approached them. "Princess Digimoon has graciously come to comfort the forlorn Dark Patamon."

Takumi knit his eyebrows together as Princess Digimoon, or rather Nokia, knelt before the small Child Digimon. "Even in your darkest hour," the girl smiled at him, "you mustn't ever give up hope, for an unwavering heart is the most noble thing there is."

"Yes, your majesty…" Patamon bowed his head to the girl. "You're completely right. I was wrong. One day…" he raised his head high. "One day I vow I'll become a brave, strong Angemon who can make you proud!" With that, the Digimon ran off.

Nokia smiled as she got back up and clasped her hands over her heart. "Takumi, I thank thee," she slightly bowed to him. "Were it not for your bravery today, I fear that Digimon may well have lost his way forever…"

"U-um… S-sure…" Takumi wore a confused frown.

His friend suddenly began giggling. "How am I doing?" she asked. "I make a pretty great princess, wouldn't you say!?" She crossed her arms and brightly grinned at the very confused Cyber Sleuth. "If I were in charge, no matter how bad things would get, I'd make it all right and beautiful again in a flash! Flowers would bloom all over!"

"U-uh…" the boy nervously scratched his cheek. "R-right…"

"Anyway," Nokia continued, "Tentomon invited me out here today, too, as I bet you've noticed. He told me he was putting on an event that the other Digimon could have fun with and wanted me to help out. And how could I not?" she asked with a grin. "It's the Rebellions way to bust our butts to make everyone smile, so that's what I'm gonna keep on doing here, too! But enough talk!" she seriously flipped through a manual of some sort. "Time to get back on script! Um… where was I…? Oh yeah, here!" She cleared her throat and brightly grinned at Takumi. "Dearest hero, I implore you, continue onward," she pointed at the hall leading further into the museum. "Go forth and bring peace back to the land of U'Eno…" she chuckled before walking off ahead of him.

 _So it's_ that _type of case…_ Takumi sighed to himself. "I'd better do what she says and keep going…" he stated in exasperation. He blinked at the Digimon he defeated. "Um… you'll be okay, right?"

Bakemon nodded. "You were really strong back there, Detective Goggles… Ow…"

"I lost…" Kuwagamon frowned at himself. "I LOST! I'm such a loser!" he sobbed.

"Hmm…" Patamon studied Takumi's Digimon before looking down at his own body. "How can I make myself finally evolve? I feel like I've tried everything…"

"Right… Okay…" Takumi frowned before deciding to move on. He blinked as Tentomon was chuckling at him.

"The DigiFest is a huge success thanks to you, Takumi!" the insect Child nodded. "Keep it up! There's still a lot of the show to go through yet!"

"Well, it sure does look like everyone's having fun," the blue-eyed teen noticed. "I might as well keep going…"

A Wanyamon laughed as he travelled with the boy. "You're going to be fighting even stronger Digimon next round! I'm curious to see who'll win!"

Mochimon laughed in agreement. "I haven't had this much fun in foreveeeeer!"

The Patamon Takumi defeated earlier flew past him, eager to find a good place to sit. "I'm going to be watching your fights closely, Detective. It's important research for me to learn how to evolve!"

Takumi smiled at that but tensed up when he heard Nokia—or was it Princess Digimoon?—scream. "Nokia!?" he quickly took off in a sprint, thinking his best friend was really in danger. "Noki…ah!?"

The girl wore a crooked smile as she tried to pretend as though she were scared. "Oh nooo, please, someone save meeeee!" she cried. "This foul beast is going to eat meeee!" she pointed at the Leomon standing in front of her.

"Ah…" Takumi frowned as the Digimon turned to face him. _You know what? I regret taking this case…_ he thought in annoyance as he had other more important things to work on back at the agency.

"So you've come, Takumi," Leomon stated. "I am Leomon, one of the Four Heavenly Kings. I'm here to take my revenge for BanchoLeomon, who you and Hackmon slew!"

"So it's just you who's going to face me?" Takumi asked.

"Hmm? Where are the other Kings? Feh," Leomon shook his head. "I have no time for such idiotic questions!"

"Oh, hero," Nokia continued with the charade, "Leomon, too, has had his heart tainted by the powers of darkness! Please, you must save me before it's too late!"

"I hereby challenge you to a duel," Leomon got into his battle stance and raised his blade. "If you wish for the princess to stay alive, I would suggest you hurry up and agree."

Takumi placed his hands at his hips and frowned. "Seriously, go right on ahead," he stated with a shrug. "See if I care."

"Hey, what's the big idea?" Nokia glared at her best friend's attitude. "This might be some boring job to you, but at least you're getting paid! I had to volunteer to be here! For free!"

"And that's my problem… how?" Takumi blinked at her.

"Aaaaaaaugh, now I'm really mad!" Nokia fired up. "Leomon, go teach Takumi over there a lesson! Someone didn't get the memo on how to be a good friend!"

"Eh!?" the boy tensed up.

Leomon also turned to face her in surprise. "H-hostages aren't supposed to—"

"Shut up, I don't care about that!" Nokia frowned. "If you don't want to hear from Omegamon, then you better go kick some serious ass right now!"

The lion warrior tensed up at her threat. "Wow, where did the nice princess who wanted to protect all of her Digimon go…? Can the power of darkness even corrupt human hearts?"

"Nokia…" Takumi brought a hand up to his face and groaned.

"It's settled!" Leomon roared as he faced Takumi again. "We must fight so this malevolence might be purged from our hearts once and for all!"

The Cyber Sleuth let out a heavy sigh. "And here I thought this case would be simple…"

"Beast King Fist!" Leomon punched his fist towards Takumi, firing energy in the shape of a lion's head at the boy.

"Saint Tackle!" SaintGalgomon crashed into the attack head-on before ramming into the lion warrior.

The Noble Hero was knocked back and Takumi was glad the battle ended as quickly as it did. He looked around as he was beginning to get hungry. "I wonder if I can go now…"

Leomon groaned as he got back up. "What… happened to me…?"

"Your mind was under a truly wicked spell," Princess Digimoon— _Nokia_ , Takumi mentally corrected himself—told the Digimon with a serious expression on her face, "Though you have now been set free of it."

The Digimon's eyes widened. "Princess… Hero…" he looked between the two humans. "I must still be here now thanks to your help. I thank you…" he bowed before them.

"Well, if I'm done here," Takumi turned to leave but sighed when another familiar voice began to chuckle malevolently. "Oh, come on!"

"Leomon," the familiar voice sneered, "you wretched creature, I grow tired of your incompetence. It appears I must intervene myself now…" Nokia gasped as she feigned fear. "And I shall start with this impudent girl!"

"Princess, look out!" Leomon jumped into the fiery light coming towards Nokia.

"Leomon!" Princess Digimoon— _Nokia_ —gasped. "You saved me…"

"This…" the Digimon gave her a sad smile, "is merely fate, princess…" With a dramatic cry, he fell limp.

"Noooo, Leomon!" Princess Digimoon— _Nokia_ —tearfully cried out. "Leomon! Who would dare do something so terrible!?"

The familiar voice let out a flat evil laugh. "It is but merely a fitting end for such a worthless minion!"

The red-haired girl gasped as she turned to face the evildoer. "It can't be… It's Gluttonous Beelzebumon!"

Yuuko wore an uncomfortable frown as she stepped forth to face Takumi. She looked away from the blue-eyed boy as he just blankly stared at her with a deadpan expression on his face. She sighed as she continued playing her part. "Yes, it is I, Gluttonous Beelzebumon," she flatly stated.

Takumi placed his hands on his hips and frowned at her. "Jeez, contain your excitement there, Yuuko…"

The raven-haired girl lowered her gaze as her face became red. "I… I don't think I'm really cut out for this role, to be honest," she admitted to him.

"I'm real sorry about that," Tentomon cut in. "If I had a bigger budget, I woulda hired the real thing to do this, but you were our best bet, so…" he shrugged as he flew back to the audience.

"Oh, you're fine!" Nokia reassured her. "Don't sweat it so much, Yuuko-chi! If you squint hard enough, you could totally pass for Beelzebumon!"

"In what world?" Takumi asked.

"Shut up, Takumi!" Nokia glared at him before smiling at Yuuko. "I mean, just look at you, Yuuko-chi!" she continued. "You're totally a bad girl! Yep!" she nodded. "And then, uh… Um… Oh! Your hair and your clothes practically match his!"

"Again," Takumi crossed his arms, "In what world?" Yuuko frowned as she had to agree with Takumi on this.

"C'mon, don't quit now!" Nokia pleaded to her in a whisper. "If you stay, I promise we'll go out for ramen at a nice, quiet place! Please! Just a little more!"

"Can I come too!?" Takumi asked, suddenly excited.

"No!" Nokia snapped at him. "You can't, Mister I'm-Too-Good-For-This!"

"That's not fair!" the boy cried. "I seriously don't want to do this anymore _and_ I'm starving over here!"

"And that's my problem… how?" Nokia asked him.

"Urk!" Takumi tensed up at that.

Satisfied she managed to shut him up, Nokia turned towards Yuuko. "Come on, Yuuko-chi! Let's get ramen together after this!"

Yuuko took a moment to consider Nokia's offer before sighing. "Takumi, you have done well in coming all this way," she flatly said as Gluttonous Beelzebumon. "Allow me to take Princess Digimoon off of your hands now."

"Nooo!" Princess Digimon— _Nokia_ —shook her head in protest despite the ridiculous smile plastered on her face. "Stay away from meeee!"

"Okay, you're enjoying being Yuuko's hostage way too much!" Takumi scolded Nokia.

"You're just jealous!" the turquoise-eyed girl glared at him.

"Obviously!" he rolled his eyes.

"H-huh?" Yuuko blinked at the arguing redheads. "Just what exactly are you jealous about, Takumi?"

"Oh, forget it…" Takumi shook his head and sighed to himself. "Never mind going for ramen with you two… I just want to get back to the agency… I don't even care if Kyoko-san has some coffee already prepared for my return… That's more preferable to… whatever this is…"

"Please just bear with this for a while longer," Yuuko sympathetically frowned at him. "If you leave now and cost me ramen, I won't forgive you," she glared at him.

"You didn't have to add the threat," Takumi shook his head and crossed his arms. "But fine… Let's just hurry up and get this over with…" he knit his eyebrows together, "Gluttonous Beelzebumon…" _Yeah, no… I can't take her seriously if I call her that…_

Gluttonous Beelzebumon— _Yuuko_ , Takumi stubbornly thought—cleared her throat before starting up their performance again. "The monsters left before you are unlike any you've met until now. I present to you the Five Digimon Shoguns of Hell, each of them a living nightmare!"

"Ooooh, the Five Digimon Shoguns of Hell!" Princess Digimoon's— _Nokia's_ —eyes widened. "I wonder what ferocious Digimon are going to appear!?"

Takumi turned towards the five Digimon rushing towards him and brought his hand up to his face. "Numemon derivatives, huh? Why am I not even surprised at this point…?"

"Wow," Princess Digimoon— _Nokia_ —crookedly smiled at the five Digimon. "You were being really literal when you said they were nightmarish, huh? I'm impressed."

"Takumi," Numemon called out to him, "your exalted journey as a hero ends here!"

"Wouldn't that be great?" Takumi sighed but everybody ignored him.

"Farewell, o' noble hero! 'Tis time you learned your place at long last!" Gluttonous Beelzebumon— _Yuuko_ —tried to mockingly declare. She extended her arm to signal Numemon, KaratukiNumemon, and BlackKingNumemon to attack.

"Continuous Poop Throw!" Numemon began chucking feces at Takumi.

"Unchi Rain!" the shelled version of Numemon called for a meteor shower of excrement.

"Dark Pupil!" the mustachioed, black-crowned Numemon lifted a large piece of poisonous waste above his head before throwing it.

Not wanting to deal with any of this, Takumi simply jerked his head to the side to signal BlackWarGreymon to handle the matter as hygienically as possible. "Black Storm Tornado!" the Jet-black Dragon Warrior cried as he spun around at high speeds to produce multiple massive tornadoes around him. He then launched them forward to collect the projectiles and return it to the attacking Digimon.

Numemon groaned as the world spun around him. "You're… no ordinary hero if you can slay us…" he told Takumi. "But know this. You haven't met the strongest of the Digimon Shoguns. You'll fall to their might yet! Take this!"

Takumi sighed at the GoldNumemon and PlatinumNumemon coming towards him. "Let's just get this over with…"

"Goldurian Rush!" the golden Numemon began pelting gold poop at the boy.

"Platinum Excrement!" the gleaming Numemon made of white metal did the same but with excrement made of platinum.

BlackWarGreymon frowned as he attacked them using the same method as before. "Black Storm Tornado!"

Seeing as how these variants of Numemon were much sturdier than the previous three, Darkdramon charged his Gigastick Lance. "Dark Roar!" He fired the condensed ball of dark matter into BlackWarGreymon's tornadoes, transferring the power into the swirling vortexes.

Both metallic slugs groaned as they collapsed in defeat. "Unthinkable…" GoldNumemon lifted his head to look at the frowning Cyber Sleuth. "How could all five Digimon Shoguns fall to a mere human!? Even so…" he laughed, "Don't think the worst is over! Your nightmare has only just begun!"

"There's more?" Takumi's frown deepened as he placed his hands on his hips.

"Indeed," GoldNumemon nodded. "Above us Five are the Seven Heroes. And above them are the Ten Fighters. Further still are the Twelve Devas of Olympus. Beyond them are…"

Takumi stared at the Digimon in disbelief before closing his eyes and bringing a hand up to his mouth. When he opened them again, he wore a crooked smirk on his face. "Yeah…" he wryly chuckled as he had enough of this nonsense. "I'm out!" The redhead quickly turned around and took off before anyone could stop him.

"Hey, where are you going!?" Nokia called out after him as she chased him down. "You still have to rescue me, you know!"

"Takumi, wait!" Tentomon flew after the boy too. "We're not done here, ya know! Hold on!"

Mochimon laughed as he bounced after them. "Let's play tag now!"

"No, let's play hide and seek!" a Gomamon cried.

Patamon flapped his ear wings as he tried to keep up. "Hey, maybe if I can tag Takumi, I'll finally evolve! It's worth a shot!"

Yuuko watched as everyone soon left. She frowned to herself as her stomach audibly rumbled. "You know what? I'm hungry." She sighed as she went to search for Nokia so they could get ramen like the tamer had promised.

* * *

"Oh?" Kyoko chuckled at her assistant's ordeal. "So once they finally caught you, they made you keep fighting until you beat the so-called 'Dark Lord', huh?"

"Yeah…" Takumi frowned as he placed his hands on his hips. "The only good thing that came from all that was the food and games at the end."

"And the festival also had other things like trivia and eating contests?" Kyoko brought a hand to her hip and smirked at him. "Wow, that sounds like a good time. It must have been really lively there!"

"I guess…"

"I bet you made the Digimon there really happy," she nodded. "And I bet it's done wonders for your mood as well, no?"

"Hmm?" Takumi blinked at her before bringing his hand up to his chin to think about it. "Yeah, I guess it did…" he cheerfully chuckled. Kyoko smiled as it's been a while since he was in such a good mood. The Cyber Sleuth stopped laughing though before scrunching his face up in confusion. "But, uh… Nokia was there so why wasn't she…?"

"Huh? Why were you picked to be the hero rather than Nokia?" Kyoko chuckled at his question. "Beats me. Even I can't know everything." She crossed her arms as she stared at the Digivice he adorned on his head. "You know, there's an old quote I heard once that sums it up well. Something like 'Every hero needs a pair of goggles'. It's a universal truth…"

"Goggles…?" Takumi crookedly smiled at that as he began fidgeting with his Digivice. "That's seriously all it takes to make me a hero?"

"So how does it feel being a big hero, then?" the detective asked him. Takumi wore an uncomfortable frown on his face as he didn't know how to answer that. "Well, just don't let it go to your head because there's still plenty of work left for you to do," she chuckled.

"Yeah, I know," he nodded as he decided to begin typing out his report.

"Great job with the case," Kyoko praised him. "I know it definitely skewed more on the weird side of things, but… sometimes it's good to go off the beaten track."

Takumi blinked at her for a while before his expression softened into a smile. "Yeah…"

The detective smiled too, glad he was back to his usual self.

* * *

~GHOST~CAT~BUILDING~

Takumi looked up at the clock and smiled at it was time for his lunch break. "Pete! Let's eat!" he stated as he put his laptop to sleep. "I brought you the new cat food like I promised!" He looked around the office in confusion when he noticed Pete wasn't on the sofa with him. The Cyber Sleuth frowned before turning towards Kyoko. "Where did Pete go?"

"I haven't seen him in a while," the detective frowned back. "I doubt he's left Nakano Broadway, but something's been troubling him…" she mused.

"Eh?" the sensitive teen knit his eyebrows together in worry.

"Go find him," Kyoko suggested to her assistant.

"Of course," Takumi nodded as he began to search for his small friend.

* * *

"Pete!" Takumi called out to the Wanyamon when he spotted him by the bathrooms of the third floor.

Pete turned around and smiled up at Takumi as the boy knelt down to pet him. "Oh… It's you, huh?"

"Were you expecting someone else?" the Cyber Sleuth asked.

"Do you…?" Pete frowned as he lowered his gaze to the floor. "Do you know what I am?"

"Pete?" Takumi worriedly tilted his head to the side.

"Because I don't…" the Digimon sadly stated. "I don't feel anything at all… Not a… thing…"

"Pete!?" The boy's blue eyes widened when the catlike Digimon suddenly vanished. He quickly searched around for the Wanyamon before quickly calling the office. "Kyoko-san!"

"What happened?" the detective asked him with a frown.

"Pete just vanished!"

"What…? Pete disappeared in front of you?"

"Yeah! I can't sense him at all!" the boy cried in a panic. "What should I do?"

"Hmm…" Kyoko brought her hand up to her mouth. "Just come back here for now. A new case just came in that's cause for concern. It could be related to what you just witnessed."

* * *

 _Client: Old Man Mizushima_

 _Place: Broadway_

 _Details: I have been looking for so long. My Miko… My poor cat. Please find Miko._

"This case comes in from Old Man Mizushima," Kyoko told her assistant as he pulled out an empty folder. "You might remember him as the one behind those four urban legends you recently investigated with the occult club members," she smiled.

Takumi placed his hands on his hips as he tried to recall. "Right," he nodded. "I vaguely remember him showing up at K-Café…"

"It well and truly is a small world out there," Kyoko told him, "even when it feels bigger than ever in some ways… Anyway, he's tasked us with tracking down his cat. Frankly, during times like this, there's something to be said for a down-to-earth gig like this one."

"I suppose," the boy put on a gentle smile.

"Mizushima said he'd be waiting for you at K-Café, although he didn't actually state when…" Kyoko said, bringing up a hand to her chin. "It wouldn't hurt to go on ahead and check things out at the café, so go do that."

"Alright," Takumi nodded. "I'm off!" he told her before leaving the agency.

"Have a safe trip," she called out after him.

* * *

Takumi felt the world around him rumble and shake as he reached K-Café. "Whoa!" He quickly caught himself and looked around in concern. "It feels like it's stopped. I wonder if it was an earthquake…" He shook his head as he let himself into the cozy establishment.

Sacchan greeted the boy as usual. "Welcome!" she smiled at the regular. "Grab a drink, have a seat, and stay as long as you like!"

"Thanks," Takumi laughed as he walked up to the counter. "So what about that earthquake just now?"

"An earthquake?" the owner blinked at the teen. "No, I didn't feel anything of the sort."

"Huh?" Takumi frowned. "That's strange… I swear I felt one earlier." He shrugged it off though and ordered a cup of coffee before taking a seat. As he waited for his client to arrive, he quickly phoned the office. "Kyoko-san, I'm at the café right now. It doesn't look like he's here yet."

"So Old Man Mizushima's not in right now," the detective brought a hand to her mouth. "All right." She looked up towards her assistant. "You originally met him there early in the morning, right? You might as well come back around the same time and see if he shows up."

"Sure, I'll be returning to the agency then," Takumi nodded to her.

* * *

"The next day, early morning…" Takumi quickly logged into his audio journal as he left the agency. "Let's head for K-Café. Old Man Mizushima should hopefully be there at this hour…" he checked the time before taking the elevator to the fourth floor. As he entered the café, he stared at the old man he met earlier. "Mizushima-san?" Takumi blinked.

The man looked away from the wall and towards the Cyber Sleuth. "Oh, it's you again. I've been waiting, you know."

"You didn't tell Kyoko-san a time so I came during the afternoon," Takumi told him. "You never showed up…"

"Hmm? You stopped by yesterday afternoon, but couldn't find me?" the man blinked at him. "You must have just had bad timing, kid! I've been waiting here forever for you!"

"Really?" Takumi tilted his head to the side.

"What's done is done," Mizushima shook his head. "Let's just let bygones be bygones and start searching now." He looked towards the wall and frowned. "My Miko, you see… He's inside this wall here."

"The wall…?" Takumi studied the wall for a while with a frown. "There's nothing there except—" he let out a surprised yelp as the ground began to shake again. "Another earthquake!?" Takumi looked towards the elderly man but frowned as the older gentleman didn't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary. The Cyber Sleuth's Digivice began to ring and Takumi immediately answered. "K-kyoko-san?"

"Are you at K-Café right now?" she asked.

"Yeah," Takumi nodded as he tried to keep his balance.

"I'm picking up readings of really strong Digital Wave vibrations from the fourth floor," she told him. "It's a really huge current coursing through there. My money's on that old 'time capsule' being the cause of them."

"A Digital Wave…?" Takumi rested a hand on a nearby table to keep himself upright. "Hey, Kyoko-san… Is there an earthquake happening right now?"

"What's that? An earthquake?" Kyoko brought a hand up to her mouth. "No, I can confirm it's definitely not. There's no movement here on the first floor. You're just sensing the intense Digital Wa—"

"Kyoko-san!" Takumi frowned as the line suddenly went dead. He tried to call her back but paused when he spotted an image of Pete materializing out of the wall. "Pete!"

Mizushima stared at the Wanyamon with wide eyes. "It's…"

"I don't wanna know…" Pete frowned. "It's better not knowing…" He closed his eyes as a painful expression washed over his face. "Things are fine just as they are now… It's better if they don't change… Please, stop… Don't wake me up from this…"

"Pete!" Takumi sympathetically stared at his friend as the urge to want to help him filled his shaking half-cyber body.

"It's Miko!" Mizushima managed to smile.

"No, I'm Pete!" the Digimon stated.

The elderly man shook his head. "Whatever you are, Miko, just… come back to me!"

Takumi noticed everything beginning to stabilize around him. "Pete…?"

The Digimon frowned and shook his head at the old man. "No, I can't… That's… too much to ask of me… I'm not…" Pete closed his eyes as they filled with tears. "Takumi, please… Leave me alone. Let things stay… just the way they are…"

"Pete!" Takumi called out to the Wanyamon as he returned to the tube computer beyond the wall.

"I'm sorry, Miko…" Mizushima sadly frowned at the ground. "I'm sorry…"

Takumi knit his eyebrows together but quickly answered his Digivice as it began ringing again. "Ah, did I finally get through to you again?" Kyoko asked. "The vibrations have stopped for now, but the Digital Waves are still as intense as ever. There's something big brewing in there. As I suspected earlier, they're coming from that old vacuum tube computer inside the wall. The Digital Waves are just gushing out of there from the old intranet lines that computer is hooked up to. So much so, in fact, that they're forming a cybernetic ley line… a 'Digital Line' of sorts." She gravely frowned at her assistant. "If this thing persists, it's only a matter of time before its effects are felt in the real world."

"You mean a labyrinth," Takumi guessed.

Kyoko nodded to him. "Takumi, I need you to go inside that vacuum tube computer and do what you can to stop it."

"Alright," her assistant told her. "I was about to go anyways to chase after Pete. Just leave this to me, Kyoko-san!"

"I'm counting on you," she told him with a nod.

Takumi hung up and looked towards Mizushima. The old man was frowning at the wall, apologizing over and over again. "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…"

"Mizushima-san," Takumi stared directly into the man's eyes. "I'll bring Pete… er, Miko… back to you. He seems to be in trouble, but I'll do all I can to help you both. I promise," he gave the man a determined nod before Connect Jumping into the wall. As he reoriented himself in the new network, Takumi paused as he could distinctly sense Pete's digital signature somewhere ahead of him. "Don't worry, Pete! I'm coming to help you!"

The Digimon whimpered at the boy's insistence to come after him. "Please, let me be…" Pete's voice echoed around Takumi. "Don't wake me from this dream…"

"What's going on with Pete?" Takumi asked himself with a concerned frown. He shook his head as he stared at the road ahead of him. "Only one way to find out…"

When the Cyber Sleuth made it into the Digital Space, Pete sighed. "Why…? Why do you have to know who I really am…?" he asked.

"I just want to help you, Pete!" Takumi called out. He waited for Pete to reply but frowned when he was met with silence. "No response," he muttered. He clenched his right fist and nodded to himself in determination. "Let's find Pete!"

As he explored the Digital Space, Takumi noticed some stray bits of data here and there. Curious, he approached a piece to see what sort of information it contained.

 _Nakano Broadway Construction: Part 1_

 _Construction plans for Nakano Broadway (hereby abbreviated as 'NB') were announced in 1959, ultimately taking 7 years to complete. The reason for the lengthy duration was due to a major issue that routinely manifested throughout the process. During land leveling, underground water leaked, resulting in an immediate halt to any and all work within the area. A large lake formed and the site was left alone for a long time. Mysteriously, large fish appeared en masse, attracting fishermen. Records also indicate people bathed there in large numbers and that a child at one point drowned in the lake._

Takumi closed his eyes as he heard a familiar voice speaking in his mind. _"Today something terrible happened. A strange Digimon appeared in the middle of my bed. It was so cold in there… Even when I tried calling out for help, nobody came for me… But these two detectives eventually showed up. Kyoko-san and Takumi… Takumi asked me who I was, but I said I didn't know. So Kyoko-san gave me a name. She decided to call me 'Pete' because I'm some sort of 'time capsule'. Yep, Pete. That's my name. It made me so happy to have one. Names really are special things to have."_

"Is this… Pete's memory?" Takumi asked himself with a frown. He decided to keep going until he found another data file.

 _Nakano Broadway Construction: Part 2_

 _No blueprints exist for NB. The year 1961 saw the Japanese government commence its 'Income Doubling Plan' in order to reenergize the post-war economy. In tandem with unemployment policies, public works projects flooded the country, with major construction companies allotted huge budgets. Around 1962, one such project, the main route for the Shuto Expressway, was completed ahead of schedule. It was at that point that attention turned back towards NB. Idle laborers and resources were funneled into the area from central Tokyo, at which point work on the building commenced in earnest. It's likely that there wasn't a time to even think of preparing proper blueprints for NB at that stage._

Takumi paused as Pete's voice echoed in his mind again. _"Yoshito really likes this girl named 'Yuki Fuyume'. He always sits me on his lap and tells me all about her. Everything is perfect about her, he says. Her singing, her dancing, her looks, everything. He says she's one in a million among idols. I can't do any of those things. I can't sing and I can't dance. But what I can do is curl up and fall asleep on Yoshito's lap. I love doing that. I also just love hearing Yoshito talk to me so happily."_

Takumi remembered how often Pete would curl himself up on the boy's chest as he slept at the agency during the time Kyoko had been away. He smiled to himself as sometimes, they would just lounge on the sofa and just talk. Of course, it was usually just Takumi doing most of the talking. Pete was a patient listener and loved the strange non sequiturs of Takumi's abnormal mind. "Pete… no matter who you are, you're still you. Nothing can change that." Takumi continued forward as he began piecing together the clues being handed to him.

 _Nakano Broadway Construction: Part 3_

 _With no blueprints to draw upon, concrete was poured and rebar was erected, tailored to the land around the site. When construction was concluded four years later, the final building had three underground floors, as well as ten floors aboveground. East Asia's greatest commercial building was therefore constructed on little more than sheer willpower. However, this came at the cost to some aspects of NB's integrity. The escalator, for instance, only connects the first three floors. Most of the underground floors have also gone unused in the ensuing years. Such quirks are direct results of the circumstances surrounding the building's inception._

Pete's voice happily recalled another memory. _"Yoshito told me that he and his son have been to a 'world's fair' once. He said that the line to see the 'moon rocks' was really long, so long that it made them tired. But he said his son still had a good time. People also call Yoshito 'Chief Mizushima'. His full name is 'Mizushima Yoshito'. Yoshito is a big, important man in the 'computer room', so he doesn't get to go out with his son much. He's glad they got to see the world's fair. I wish I could have seen the world's fair with Yoshito, too. But he and I are always together in the computer room. So that's okay. I'm content."_

"Mizushima Yoshito… my client?" Takumi frowned.

 _Nakano Broadway Construction: Part 4_

 _In most cases, large commercial buildings are run by their owners, who control everything from PR to tenants and internal bylaws. NB was an exception to that rule. From the very start, shop and residential spaces alike were sole piecemeal. People who bought their real estate inside the building were then free to utilize it however they pleased. Because of this, soon after NB opened, shop owners and residents started remodeling work on their respective stores and apartments. In the end, this meant that formal blueprints for NB weren't drafted until eight years after the building was originally completed. Even in those early days, the building's layout had already become too unwieldy for anyone to fully grasp at that stage._

 _"Yoshito always has me sitting on his lap,"_ Pete's voice wistfully sighed, _"petting my head all nice and gently. I love Yoshito. Yoshito always calls me… Miko. Miko is a girl's name. But Yoshito gave it to me, so I love it."_

"Miko…" the Cyber Sleuth repeated that name. "Is there a reason you don't want to be Miko, Pete?"

 _Nakano Broadway Construction: Part 5_

 _The basement of Broadway once housed a vacuum tube computer within its walls. It had been brought into the building after the end of WWII by war criminals who evaded arrest, shielded from the prying eyes of MacArthur's GHQ. The vacuum tube computer's purpose in those days' remains a mystery. It's possible it could have been utilized for things such as mathematical computations or code-breaking, but such speculation is unconfirmed. As time went on, there was eventually nobody left to carry on the original purpose set forth for the terminal. At that point, the computer was apparently buried inside a wall somewhere._

 _"It's dark in here,"_ Pete's voice meekly whimpered. _"All dark. I can't see a thing. I'm okay being in the dark. I'm not scared of it or anything. But it's never been this dark before. Yoshito's not here. I don't even smell him. I can't go back outside. Yoshito, where are you? Yoshito. Yoshito. Please, sit me on your lap. And pet my head again. Yoshito. Yoshi…to…"_

"So the day the computer was sealed…" Takumi frowned, "you were separated from Mizushima-san…" The Cyber Sleuth sadly lowered his gaze at the thought of being left behind in darkness for so long. "You must have suffered a long time…"

"Now you know…" the Digimon's voice echoed around the teen. "Now you know who I really am… I'm…" the voice hesitated. "I'm…!"

* * *

Kyoko frowned as the entire building began to shake. "So it's begun…!" she crossed her arms. "Though I have to say this is a bit more than what I bargained for! If this keeps up, the building's going to collapse for sure!"

* * *

The amnesiac Wanyamon finally materialized before Takumi. "Who… am… I?" he asked the boy with a sad frown. Takumi placed his hands on his hips as he tried to figure out how to answer the suffering Digimon. "Somebody… anybody… tell me…"

Takumi knelt down in front of his friend and carefully reached his hand forward. "You're…"

"Please…" the catlike creature cautiously looked up at Takumi. "Who… am I…?" He shut his eyes as the boy's hand was on his head. He was tense for a moment but soon, he relaxed into the kind teen's palm as Takumi began gently petting his head in the way he knew the Digimon liked it.

"Miko," Takumi gently stated as he continued to scratch the Wanyamon's ears. "You're Miko."

Miko opened his eyes and smiled up at the blue-eyed boy. "Yeah, that's right… My name is Miko…" Takumi gave him a kind nod as he let the Digimon speak. "Yoshito is… my friend. Pete is… your friend… Yoshito's calling out for me…" Miko frowned. "He's been looking for me this whole time… He found me… Yoshito."

"Let's go home, Miko," Takumi told the cat. "Mizushima-san is waiting for you."

* * *

Kyoko noticed the rumbling was beginning to subside. "Whew, it looks like the tremors have stopped. Just in the nick of time, too." She nodded to herself as she thought of Takumi. "That's my assistant for you. You've done well. Now I don't have to worry about any broken coffee cups," she chuckled.

* * *

"Miko…" Mizushima watched as Miko and Takumi returned to the café. His eyes widened as the Digimon happily rushed towards him. "Miko, it's really you!"

"Yoshito… I'm so sorry," Miko apologetically frowned. "You've been waiting for me for so long…"

"I'm the one who should be apologizing here, Miko," the old man shook his head as he began petting the cat's head. "I'm the one who left you alone this whole time… I'm so sorry, my friend…"

"No, it's okay, really," Miko reassured him. "You don't have to be sorry. I know you've been waiting for me since the day you had to go."

"Oh, Miko…" the man smiled at his dear friend. He looked up to Takumi and gave him a grateful bow. "Thank you… If it wasn't for you, I'd have never lived to see Miko with my own eyes again…"

"Hmm…?" Takumi tilted his head to the side. "Can I ask what happened?"

"I should probably explain," Mizushima nodded. "You see, back when the vacuum tube computer room was still around, I lived here in this building, away from my family. That computer room was where I used to work. The only family I ever had with me that whole time was Miko here," he smiled at the Digimon. "I talked with Miko about everything there… My memories of my family, Yuki Fuyume… Anything to help keep my loneliness at bay in there," he frowned. "He would join me in the computer room and we spent many, many hours together over the years… Eventually, they closed down the room and sealed the whole thing off with a thick wall, like it was never there to begin with. It was around that time that I lost Miko, too," the man sadly stated. "I couldn't find him wherever I looked…"

"I see…" Takumi lowered his gaze to the ground as he guessed what had happened.

Mizushima nodded. "I had a bad feeling about where he might have ended up and came back here who knows how many times to rescue him… But in the end, I couldn't do anything for him. I gave up and over time nearly forgot about him… Before I knew it, it had been decades since we'd last been together." He looked into Takumi's gentle blue eyes. "I can't thank you enough for making this happen," he smiled. "We couldn't have been reunited without you, kid…"

Takumi smiled at that. "It was nothing," he shook his head. "I'm glad you both got to see each other again."

"Thank you… Thank you so much…" Mizushima continued rubbing the cat's head. "Now we can go back to living together again… Thank you. I'll never, ever forget this day!"

Miko flipped into the air as the man began to walk off. "Thanks for everything, Takumi!" he nodded before following his old friend out of the café.

"Goodbye, Miko!" Takumi called out after him with a bright smirk on his face. When he was finally alone in the café, the redhead gently smiled as he looked down at his gloved hand. "Goodbye…"

* * *

"I see…" Kyoko smiled at her assistant and crossed her arms. "Nice work. I can only imagine how hard it was, but you really did a good job."

"It really was nothing," Takumi continued to smile. "I'm really happy we helped Miko find out who he really is."

"So our Pete was actually a cat named Miko," the detective nodded, "sealed deep inside a wall along with that old vacuum tube computer from the American occupation days… And somehow, using the building's intranet… or rather the power of its ley line, he merged with the computer and became a Digimon. That old cat's had a hell of a life, wouldn't you agree, Takumi?"

"Yeah," Takumi nodded.

"We can't say for sure what the actual assimilation process entailed, but at this point, we know better than to doubt it happened," Kyoko noted. "It's amazing just how much and yet how little the digital and real worlds are siphoned off from one another… I imagine the reason Pete showed up again after all those years is because of the Digital Wave abnormalities we've seen. But you know…" she pensively brought her hand up to her mouth to hide her frown. "There's still one thing about the whole story that bugs me a little."

"What is it?" her assistant curiously asked.

"You mentioned that towards the end, Old Man Mizushima said 'Now we can go back to living together again', right?"

"That's right," Takumi nodded. "I have it recorded word for word in my Digivice."

"What do you think he meant by that?"

"Hmm?" Takumi tilted his head to the side.

"Not only that, but in the case you solved earlier where he was the one behind the urban legends…" Kyoko pointed out. "How did he keep breaking into the building?"

"Eh?" the boy's eyes widened.

"Let's assume for the sake of argument that he somehow had access to an entrance that let him come and go at the timing he did," she continued. "If he'd physically been getting into the building so much that way that he was being reported, you'd think something would have gone differently."

"But he wasn't reported," Takumi nodded as he followed her logic. He blinked at her in surprise. "Wait…! You don't mean…!?"

"Got any theories you'd like to propose?" Kyoko asked him with a smirk. The boy knit his eyebrows together and wryly smiled at her in response. "Mizushima Yoshito…" she pondered. "If we looked into his back story, we might be able to find our answers pretty easily… What do you think? Should we dig a little more?" the curious woman asked her assistant.

Takumi closed his eyes to think about it but he paused when he heard Pete's voice speaking to him again. _"Please, leave us be… Don't go looking for us."_

"Miko…" the teen smiled as he wanted to honor his friend's wish. When the boy opened his eyes, he shook his head. "I'd rather not spoil his dream. Miko is where he belongs now," Takumi knit his eyebrows together. "It wouldn't be right to look into it after all he's been through."

"Ah, that's understandable…" Kyoko smiled at her assistant. "Then it's probably best we do indeed let sleeping dogs lie. Alternatively, we could let the occult club kids know about this," she stated, bringing her hand up to her mouth. "I bet they'd have a real field day going after it. I mean, they came face-to-face with a real—"

"Kyoko-san…" Takumi sternly frowned at her.

"You know what? Nah," she shook her head as she agreed with Takumi, "Let's keep it to ourselves."

"Yeah…" the boy happily smiled and nodded to her.

Kyoko chuckled as she studied her assistant. "Not all mysteries in this world need to be solved," she stated. "Nakano Broadway brings many things together… The spirit world and the world of the living… The normal and the surreal… And now, the physical and the digital… Truly, nothing is impossible in this crazy hole in the wall we call home."

"A home in a world—or even multiple worlds—of infinite possibilities…" Takumi stated with a nod. "One filled with simple joys and happiness… Even if there is pain, it's the accumulation of those precious enjoyable moments that makes life wonderful."

The detective smiled at the boy's flowery words. "Well, it looks like it's just you and me again here," she told him as it was about time for them to return to work. "The couches look so empty without Pete around… We better get more clients to keep them warm."

Takumi turned to look at the sofas and smiled at his fond memories of napping on them with Pete. "Yeah…" he nodded before taking a seat.

* * *

 **Final Notes:** Goodbye, Pete... It was fun having you around while it lasted. Seriously, I think the only reason Pete exists is so somebody could help Takumi run the agency while Kyoko was away, but still, he was pretty cool and adorable... This will be the last time we see the occult club too... But anyway, back to that case way back when about the Shibuya Scramble Crossing. I think that girl that tried to kill Takumi is a digital entity ghost of some sort, the same way Miko turned into a Digimon. It makes some sense considering Shibuya is apparently filled with a lot of energy... Or I could throw in some World Ends With You in there, but uh... that'd be going too far, maybe... Oh, and the DLC case... that is the most random case in this whole game, but it's hilarious... Poor Takumi though... I'm sure he would have enjoyed it under normal circumstances, but he really is being stressed to the limited... Still, he's the hero so he has to remain strong! Go, goggle boy, go!


	26. Recollection

**Author's Notes:** Oh boy, this chapter... So, the way I see Takumi, he's pretty flat in the game. I tried to make him a bit more interesting here by having him gradually deteriorate. It's been showing up here and there, but I guess it's time to really break our hero. I feel parts of this are a bit sloppy and can be refined, but for the most part, I'm satisfied with it. It just means I'll have to figure out how to smooth it out in the future. Well, enjoy the chapter.

* * *

"Kyoko-san, is it time for us to strike now?" Takumi asked. "It's been nearly a week…" he worriedly stated.

"You hate having to just stand by and wait?" Kyoko looked up from her monitor and raised an eyebrow at him. "Aren't people always waiting for something?" she asked him with a smirk. "Not that I'm any different," she shrugged.

"You know why I'm getting impatient though…" her assistant frowned. "My body's been behaving so far, but that can't last forever… We're pushing my luck as it is…"

"If you're so worried, why don't you patrol the city?" the detective suggested. "I don't really have work for you right now, so go out and look for clients, help people, or save some Digimon. Just don't push yourself too much and the time to attack will soon present itself to us."

The teenager sighed but he nodded in understanding. "Alright, Kyoko-san. I'm off."

"Have a safe trip," she nodded to him as he left.

As soon as he left the agency, a call came in. Takumi stared at his Digivice in surprise when it began to ring. He blinked at the Caller ID with a bit of hesitation and uncertainty before he carefully answered it. "Arata!? Is that really you?"

"Hey…" the boy coolly nodded to him in greeting.

"Arata…!"

"Sorry, but I'm in a hurry," the older boy stated. "I have a message for you. Come to Odaiba. Suedou said that the weakened Examon will be heading back there. It's your chance to defeat Examon. Help Suedou."

"Of course I'll go, but don't think I'm doing it for that man's sake," Takumi nodded. The redhead was about to head back into the agency but Arata quickly spoke again.

"Listen up, though," the raven-haired teen frowned. "Come alone. Don't tell Kyoko-san or anyone else. Just you."

"Alone…?" the redhead frowned at that.

"See you later," Arata quickly hung up.

Takumi clenched his right hand into a tight fist. "Why only me…?"

* * *

Arata grunted as he tried to eat Examon but frowned as the Dragon Emperor was too large for him to consume so easily. He heard footsteps behind him and immediately stopped before turning to face the running redhead. "Ah, here you are," he smirked. "I've been waiting. I'll take care of that big thing first. It'd be messy if your buds started showing up."

"You don't have to worry about that," Takumi frowned at him. "I didn't tell anyone I came. But even so, Kyoko-san will figure out where I disappeared to soon. She's always keeping tabs on me and lately she's also been monitoring Examon."

"Yeah, Suedou told me all about it," Arata nodded. "You softened up Examon, right? Way to go, Cyber Sleuth…" he chuckled. "Yeah?"

"I'm only just doing my job," the redhead stated.

"Ah, okay," the older boy nodded.

Takumi's blue eyes wandered over to the Eater connected to his friend. "How's your arm?"

"This one?" Arata lifted up the monstrous limb. "This is the one you're worried about? It's pretty convenient, being able to devour anything," he grinned at it. "Eaters, Digimon… even human beings, really." Takumi gulped as he continued to stare at creature eating away at Arata's sanity. "I just… I want to eat and eat and eat and I can't stop. I can't help it," the older boy chuckled. "It's like I'm always starving… The more power I eat, the more power I gain. But at the same time, I'm able to feel less and less."

"That's why I'm warning you to cut it out!" Takumi yelled at him. "What's the point of throwing your humanity away for power? You know this is wrong, don't you, Arata!?"

The hooded boy simply shook his head. "The strange thing is that it's not as bad as I might've thought. For whatever that's worth."

"Arata!" Takumi glared at him.

"Does that repulse you?" Arata asked the younger boy. "I suppose it would have to," he frowned as he remembered the reason for Takumi's half-cyber body. The older boy began to laugh though.

"Just why are you doing this, Arata?" Takumi asked.

"What's that? What's the point of getting this powerful?" Arata smirked. "It's not like I want to do something terrible," he shook his head. "There was something I had forgotten to do for so long. And I finally remembered what it was," he sadly frowned for a while before his red eyes flashed in determination. "So I'm going to finish it. And to do that, I need power… More, more, more…" He growled as his arm was making him feel even hungrier than before. "More, more, more, more, and more! It's because I remembered! I have nowhere to hide," he painfully stated. "And all my escape routes are cut off! So I'm moving forward. No matter what happens, I won't try to run or hide anymore!"

"Arata!" Takumi clenched his fists as he still didn't understand his reasoning. "This power will only destroy you in the end! You're always the one yelling at Nokia and me to quit while we're ahead. I need you to do the same here!"

"Who cares about all of that?" Arata frowned at him. "You might be right, but let's just leave that for now. The real matter at hand is this huge thing," he nodded to Examon behind him.

"You really won't listen to me…" Takumi frowned at the ground.

"Okay…" Arata turned to face the gargantuan Royal Knight. "I'm going to start." He tensed up before leaping at Examon with his right arm point out. "Incept Handler!" The tentacle-like fingers of his deformed arm pierced Examon as he began feeding on the Dragon Emperor's data.

The Cyber Sleuth shook his head as he quickly dispatched his team. "Quickly take out Examon before Arata can consume any more of his strength," he told them.

"Dark Roar!" Darkdramon condensed an orb of dark matter before firing it at their opponent.

Mugendramon and MetalGarurumon (Black) quickly opened their missile ports. "Catastrophe D!"

"Blizzard Wolf Claw!"

Arata nimbly jumped back as Examon's legs were bombarded with explosions. "Whoa!" he chuckled. "Well, aren't you being a reckless fighter today?" The raven-haired teen smirked as Examon raised Ambrosius in preparation to strike at them. "Well, if you're going to show off your power, I might as well show you mine!"

"Avalon's Gate!" Examon thrust his lance forward at his small opponents but was surprised when Arata managed to block it with his Eater arm.

"Arata! What are you doing!?" Takumi asked.

The older boy laughed as he began absorbing the data of Examon's beloved lance. "More, more, more! Give me all of your data!" He let out a painful gasp as a surge of power rushed through his body.

"Darkdramon!" Takumi called out to the blue Cyborg.

"Gigastick Lance!" Darkdramon knocked Ambrosius away from Arata's arm before attacking Examon. "Demon Stab!"

Arata growled as his hunger returned. "I want to eat and eat and eat…"

Examon heavily panted as he struggled to beat his wings. He managed to lift himself off the ground before taking off into the atmosphere. Once high enough, the massive Digimon dove at the group of Digimon and Arata. As he descended, friction-generated heat resulted in the Dragon Emperor catching fire as he crashed straight onto the rooftop. "Dragonic Impact!"

Mugendramon quickly shielded Takumi and the Cyber Sleuth flinched from the force of the destructive attack. His eyes widened as his Digimon's data was reloaded into his Digivice. "Mugendramon!" Looking at the rest of his team, he noticed his two other Virus Digimon were knocked back into his reserve. In their place, BlackWarGreymon, Rosemon, and MegaloGrowmon emerged.

The three new Digimon's reactions were a bit delayed but they quickly scattered as Examon began firing a laser at them from his lance. "Pendragon's Glory!"

"Brave Shield!" BlackWarGreymon blocked the attack as he rose into the air above Takumi. The Jet-black Dragon Warrior defended his tamer before returning his shield to his back. "Dramon Killer!" His sharp claws gleamed before he jammed them into the Dragon Emperor.

Examon slammed the tiny Digimon out of the way and raised his lance. "Avalon's Gate!"

MegaloGrowmon countered the weapon with his Pendulum Blades. "Double Edge!" he cried before clashing their weapons together.

Takumi quickly called for Rosemon to return so that Darkdramon could fight. "Keep it up!" he encouraged his two dragon-based Digimon.

Arata raised his right arm towards Examon again and roared. "Incept Handler!" With the great dragon weakening, it was easier for him to take on more of the Royal Knight's data and he wasn't about to let the opportunity go to waste. "More, more, more!" He screamed as power began flooding through his system again. It was much more than he could handle, but the addictive rush pushed him to continue.

"Arata!" Takumi winced as the Digital Waves around Arata began to distort. The Cyber Sleuth felt sick to his stomach and the air suddenly turned foul. "I can't… move…!" he noticed as his body began to grow numb. "N-no…! Focus!" He clenched his eyes shut and let out a roar. "Everyone! X-xros… Xros Combo!"

Examon flew up into the air and prepared to ram into the Digimon again. "Dragonic Impact!"

BlackWarGreymon roared as he charged up a dense ball of atmospheric energy. "Gaia Force!"

"Atomic Blaster!" MegaloGrowmon charged up his chest cannons and fired two destructive beams from them.

"Dark Roar!" Darkdramon cried as he shot dark matter at the Dragon Emperor.

Examon roared as the three attacks altered his course of impact. Takumi quickly reloaded his team as the great Digimon crashed into the roof. The draconic Royal Knight tried to rise, but he found he no longer had the strength to support his heavy body. He stared at Takumi as the boy was gasping for air before noticing Arata was laughing at the dragon's pitiful state.

Arata's red eyes glowed as he studied the Dragon Emperor. "This one's really too big for me! I'm never going to be able to eat it all!"

"A-arata…!" Takumi struggled to move his body but his limbs were still paralyzed. Still, he pushed himself to the edge of his limit. "Arata!"

"What's that?" the older boy turned and frowned at him. "Something you want to say?" Takumi didn't say anything and only glared at him. Arata lowered his gaze to the ground. "I know what you want to say anyway," he stated. "I mean, it's been on my mind too. The thought that Suedou could be using me. I'm sick and tired of thinking about all that," Arata shrugged. "Let the clever ones sort out the hard stuff. After all, I'm still just a kid."

"So you're admitting that you're an idiot," the Cyber Sleuth frowned.

Arata sneered at himself. "I haven't grown or changed a bit since eight years ago. Still just a boy. So I should act like one, right?" he asked. "Do what the 'wise' adults tell me. Be good. That way I get the power I want. It's simple give-and-take."

"The last time one of my friends tried something like this on her own, she was nearly eaten alive…" Takumi muttered. "I just don't want the same thing to happen to you…"

"That's what I'm talkin' about," Arata shook his head. "You've probably already surpassed me, maturity-wise. I'll just let you handle the thinking for me."

"That's not what I meant and you know it," the Cyber Sleuth stated.

"I've disappointed you, haven't I?" the older boy wryly smirked. "We got along so well, up until now. But look… I'm changing." With that said, Arata turned to leave.

Despite the difficulty it took, Takumi managed to raise his right arm at the older boy. "Arata!" He considered Connect Jumping into the boy's arm then and there but the turbulent swirls of the unstable Digital Waves around Arata made it difficult for him to identify which Digital Wave was the best to piggyback onto.

Sensing his friend's hesitation, Arata let out a wry chuckle as it was just like Takumi to give into his soft-heartedness at a time like this. "I'm no longer the person I once was. You'd be smart to wise up too. The next time we see each other... Well... I'll just leave it at that," the older boy shook his head before launching himself off the rooftop and onto another building.

"Wait, Arata!" Takumi exclaimed as his vision became blurry. He wanted to chase after him, but his body still refused to obey him. When he was finally alone, Takumi collapsed onto his hands and knees and took in a deep gasp of air. "Once again… I'm left behind…" he bitterly smiled to himself before passing out.

* * *

"Well done," Kyoko praised her assistant as she crossed her arms. "But to think you managed to take out a rampaging dragon even after it had been weakened… It ended up turning out just as I expected."

"R-really?" Takumi blinked at her.

"I'm one smart cookie!" Kyoko flipped her hair and smirked at the boy only to see him lowering his gaze to the floor.

"Y-yeah…" the redhead agreed with her as he numbly nodded his head. "U-um… thanks for sending Jesmon for me. But what happens now?"

"Examon's activities may have halted, but Magnamon and the others are still monitoring him," she told him. "There should be no cause for concern, but they're still keeping an eye on him just in case. This completes the bond between you and Digimon," she smiled. "Not only have you successfully courted the Royal Knights to our cause, you've gotten past their misplaced trust and their delusions. Be proud of who you are."

"Who I am?" Takumi frowned at himself.

"Hmm?" Kyoko continued to study him in worry. "What is it?"

"I still couldn't get through to Arata," he muttered. "It looks like I'll have to fight him after all…"

"Hmm… You're concerned about Sanada Arata?" Kyoko asked, bringing a hand up to her mouth. "Actually, I suppose given how you think, you find the prospect, in a way, exciting. His skills don't rival those of the Royal Knights, but he's approaching that level abnormally quickly. But someday, those powers of his might make him… No, he is probably already a threat to us."

"I see…" Takumi clenched his gloved hand into a fist.

"But I'll leave him to you," she sternly told him. "Perhaps you should use your usual 'crouching lunge' attack," she smirked. "Surely that will be the best strategy to employ."

"Do I have an attack like that?" Takumi raised an eyebrow at her. He chuckled and nodded anyway. "I guess I understand what you mean though. If Arata will only listen to power, I'll just have to show him all of mine. Thanks, Kyoko-san." He paused as his Digivice began to ring.

"Umm, excuse me…" Yuuko awkwardly appeared on the screen. She shook her head as she remembered this was her friend she was trying to call. "Hello, Takumi-san."

The Cyber Sleuth frowned as there was something very wrong with the raven-haired girl if she was addressing him so formally. "What's going on?"

"I know where Rie-san… No, I mean I know where LordKnightmon is," she told him.

"Eh!?" Takumi's eyes widened before a concerned frown appeared on his face.

Yuuko lowered her gaze as she noticed the disapproving expression he wore. "I got help from the Kamishiro engineers and analyzed all of Tokyo's Digital Waves. Traces of the method used to control the Digital Waves were found in the Akihabara Digital Shift. Following those traces back led us to picking up a signal that matches LordKnightmon's! So please, come to Akihabara!" She frowned as she willed herself to look into his eyes. "I beg you. I'll be waiting there."

Once the girl hung up, Kyoko chuckled as she crossed her arms. "It looks like we're about to reach the climax of this case. The only remaining Royal Knights who oppose us are Duftmon and LordKnightmon. Finding where one of them lurks is a big step. Make haste for Akihabara," she directed her assistant.

Takumi tightened his fist and put on a determined frown. "Understood," he nodded. "I'll be sure to keep an eye on Yuuko too so just leave this to me."

The detective studied him for a while before giving him an encouraging smile. "I sense something good in your 'you-ness'."

"Eh? What do you mean by that?" Takumi blinked at her.

"You should already know what I mean," she gave him a firm nod. The boy only responded with a serious frown on his face, uncertain about what so 'good' about his apparent weakness. "Anyway, prepare yourself. You're up against a Royal Knight… LordKnightmon."

* * *

"Hello, Takumi-san," Yuuko nodded to the boy.

"Yuuko…san…" the Cyber Sleuth knit his eyebrows together but greeted her with a polite nod.

"The time has finally come," she stated. "I want to avenge my father's death. I want to finish things with LordKnightmon! Takumi-san… Won't you please help me?"

"You're so obsessed with revenge…" Takumi sternly frowned at her. "I thought I told you it was a dangerous mindset to have."

"Eh?" the girl frowned at him. "I thought we decided to put that behind us!"

"You decided that on your own," Takumi stated while shaking his head. "You even went so far as to threaten to hack me into forgetting, but you know…" The Cyber Sleuth seriously looked into her eyes. "Whether it's through hacking or a crowbar, I can't just stand aside and let your darker feelings get the better of you."

"I can't live an oblivious life like an idiot like you," Yuuko glared at him. "I already decided to go through with this! I called you here to help me, but if you intend to stop me… I'll…" She clenched her left hand into a fist and gulped as she looked down at her Digivice. "I won't hesitate to… My Digimon will…"

Takumi calmly studied the girl's expression and shook his head. "You won't attack me," he stated. "You can't."

"I-I can!" Yuuko tried to exclaim.

"No," the boy continued. "You don't have the resolve to fight me. Even if you wanted to, you can't." Yuuko's eyes widened as she knew he was right. "The opposite holds for me though," he told her. "I don't want to fight you, but if I have to, I will. I did it once before when you were Yuugo and I know I'll have to do it again with Arata…" he frowned. "I don't like it… No, I _hate_ it… but if it's the only way to make you listen, I'll do it. That's the difference in our resolves."

"I really don't understand you…" Yuuko lowered her gaze to the ground. "Every time I think I know what it is you're going to say or do, you always go against my expectations. You go around parading yourself like a smiling idiot, but that's probably the one thing you aren't."

"What do you mean?" Takumi tried to grin at her as he tilted his head to the side.

"There you go again, playing dumb," the girl glared at him. "It's exactly that type of false attitude that makes you infuriatingly difficult to understand."

"Are you sure?" he asked her. "Because I've always been honest about how I'm feeling…"

"No, you haven't," Yuuko tried to scold him. "Even with your body the way it is, you're still running around worrying for others all the while saying you're fine!"

"But I really am fine," Takumi shook his head. "At the very least, I'm in a better mental state than you right now if you really _do_ intend to force my hand."

"So I suppose you're here to stop me then?" Yuuko tensed up.

"Even if I did, it wouldn't change much," the Cyber Sleuth stated with a sigh. "At the end of the day, we have to stop LordKnightmon from destroying the world. The only way to do that is to defeat her. But my idea of 'defeat' differs from yours, I'm pretty sure. I'm still working with the possibility of deterring LordKnightmon."

"Why do you always insist on standing between me and my goals?" Yuuko asked him.

"Because your 'goals' contain dangerous feelings you shouldn't be carrying in your heart," Takumi answered with a concerned frown. "Those sorts of thoughts will only weigh you down as you sink into a sea of despair." For some reason, a shiver ran down his spine but he didn't completely understand where it came from.

"What do you know about despair?" She was beginning to lose her patience with him. "Ever since I lost my family, my entire life had been filled with despair! I tried to change things for the better only to dive further into it when I failed! Now I know all of that was because of LordKnightmon and even more, I've been given a chance to destroy her! So what if I lose myself to these feelings? And what does it even matter to you?"

"You're my friend, Yuuko," Takumi seriously told her. "I'll do whatever it takes to protect my friends, even if it means having to protect you from yourself."

"As I said before, I don't know what was inside my heart back then, but… We. Are. Not. Friends," she stated through clenched teeth as she stared into his blue eyes. She kept her gaze steady and refused to look away as he studied her face. "How can we be friends when you have absolutely no idea what it is I'm going through?"

The Cyber Sleuth paused at this as something strange stirred within him. In the end, he was the first to break his gaze as he sadly stared down at himself. "You're right that I've never experienced that type of pain before… but for some reason… I think I understand how much it hurts…" he absently brought a hand up to his heart as it began to ache. He didn't know whether it was her loneliness or desire to hold onto the remnants of what was precious to her that resonated with him so strongly but he knew he couldn't just leave her be. "Yuuko, please!" Takumi desperately tried to get through to her. "Such selfish desires are self-destructive! Nothing will change if you obtain your revenge! Yuugo will still be in the hospital and your father won't ever return. You'll be lucky if you don't lose more than you've already lost… I… don't want you to regret your decision later…"

"I won't regret it," Yuuko seriously told him. "Now will you stop wasting my time with your nonsense? LordKnightmon is here and I don't want her to get away from us again."

Takumi painfully frowned at himself as he had nothing else to say that could convince her to give up on such a volatile desire. "F-fine…" he dejectedly mumbled before turning towards Akihabara's labyrinth. "You've made up your mind despite my warnings… Neither of us can face LordKnightmon alone, so… I'll follow your lead then."

Satisfied with the outcome, Yuuko gave him a nod. "Thank you for understanding." She took a deep breath as she prepared to take charge of their mission. "Let's go…"

The redhead knit his eyebrows together as he watched her start for the labyrinth without him. "She really shouldn't be thanking me…" he mumbled to himself. He shook his head to clear it though before quickly going after her. _Man… So much for you sensing something good in me, Kyoko-san… I can never get through to anybody when it counts…_ "And once again… I'll be left behind…" he paused for a moment before sensing something wrong with his thoughts.

He dismissed his concerns though when Yuuko quickly disappeared into the distorted alleyway, prompting him to immediately chase after her. Passing over the threshold of the Digital Shift, he winced as the world flickered in static around him. His entire body began to ache, but he forced himself to continue through the suffocating Digital Waves for the sake of completing his mission.

* * *

LordKnightmon chuckled when she saw Yuuko coming towards her. Even more delightful was the sight of Takumi limping behind the revenge-oriented teen. "I got tired of waiting," she smirked.

"LordKnightmon," Yuuko glared at her with intense hatred. "You're not running away this time!"

"Run away? Me?" the Digimon asked. "Humans suffer from extreme misunderstandings. I rather welcome your arrival!" she stated as she clenched her left fist, "Because you'll clean up this unsightly trash."

"I will never forgive you!" Yuuko declared. "You killed my father!"

"It was never my intention to kill your father," LordKnightmon lowered her gaze. "Rather, it was that woman's thoughts… Like a black flame. Like a serpent in the grass… Kishibe's ambition, desire, envy… Her passion affected my thoughts as well," the Digimon explained. "We Digimon realized how dangerous humans can be. I experienced this firsthand."

"Then that means that Rie-san's urge to kill my father ended up changing you?" Yuuko frowned.

LordKnightmon remained silent so Takumi quickly shook his head. "Not all humans are like that!" he told her. "Sure, humans carry darkness within them, but there's also light! That light is what allows people to grow and evolve in order to surpass their dark selves. LordKnightmon! Even as a Digimon, I believe in your strength to surpass that hatred." The Royal Knight laughed at his words as Yuuko frowned at the Cyber Sleuth. "I don't care if these beliefs sound naïve…" Takumi stated, "But it's because I believe in them so strongly that I'm standing here right now! Please, if you just give me a chance to prove to you the strength of human's light over their darkness…"

The Digimon continued to laugh at him. "Her emotions weren't that bad after all!" LordKnightmon shrugged. "The utter rush I get when I trample puny, weak humans like you! The agony of death when your spirit is crushed! All of these things make me mad with glee! It is you humans who have given me these feelings! Who is guilty for this? Am I? Or you humans?"

"LordKnightmon—" Takumi tried to call out to her to listen, but Yuuko quickly cut him off.

"Was the spread of EDEN Syndrome really your doing?"

"Hmph… You're only half right," the Digimon told her. "My role was simply to control the Eaters. I'm glad it spread, but that wasn't my goal. Still, it's very human of you to want to blame me for the spreading of the Mark of Sin. It's an act of utter stupidity! And the source of Original Sin, which led the world to destruction, was still you humans!"

"What…?" Takumi knit his eyebrows together.

"What are you talking about?" Yuuko asked.

"I'm talking about eight years ago!" the Digimon exclaimed before glaring at the pair of teenagers. "Kamishiro Yuugo! Kamishiro Yuuko! Shiramine Nokia! Sanada Arata! And you, Aiba Takumi!" The Royal Knight focused her gaze on the blue-eyed boy. "Don't speak to me of 'light' when you yourself were the harbinger of darkness! You all came to the Digital World eight years ago and brought an unprecedented calamity upon us!"

Takumi tensed up as a strange uneasiness filled him. Images of five children flashed into his mind and he winced. "Harbinger… of darkness…? Me…?"

"Original Sin? Calamity?" Yuuko frowned. "What are you talking about? We came to the Digital World? I don't remember that. I… I have no memory of… No… No memory of…" Yuuko gasped as it slowly dawned on her why this situation sounded familiar. "Could it be that we were also…? Were we robbed of our memories? Like Yamashina was?"

Takumi frowned too as his head began to hurt. "If that's the case…" The boy became nauseous as his insides began to sink in what he believed was despair. "We… I…" He drowned in his own thoughts of his probable guilt. "Is this really our… my… fault…? I can't remember…" he muttered. "Am I really…?"

Yuuko knit her eyebrows together as she was still piecing together the information. "And then, eight years ago… My brother came down with EDEN Syndrome! The EDEN beta test… There were five children who participated. Five? So that means—"

"Hmph," LordKnightmon nodded to the despicable humans. "You finally realized what I'm getting at. That said, the path and the truth are meaningless! Your future cannot be changed! Your despair, your fate of destruction, cannot be changed!" Takumi's eyes widened at this as he quickly snapped himself out of his dark spiral of thoughts. "You tread but one path!" the Digimon cried as she raised her shield up in preparation to attack. "Urgent Fear!"

"NO!" Takumi yelled as his Digimon came out to defend him.

A large knight-like Digimon with purple armor emerged from the boy's Digivice and raised his spear up to block LordKnightmon's Pile Bunker before forcing the Royal Knight back. "Claíomh Solais!"

LordKnightmon stared at the Digimon in shock. "Craniummon! What is the meaning of this? I had believed you had been defeated! Why have you joined with our enemy? Have you turned your back on Yggdrasil too?"

Craniummon lowered his weapon and looked towards Takumi. "The only enemy I have is anyone who threatens the will of Yggdrasil," the bulky Royal Knight stated. "In my defeat, I entrusted my Claíomh Solais to this human's Knightmon to see whether the boy's desire to protect their world is true. To my surprise, not only was it more powerful than I had thought, but he genuinely expresses a desire to save our world too. Such strength of heart was enough for me to bestow the rest of my power to Knightmon and now, we serve Takumi as one."

"You cast aside Yggdrasil's absolute rule for a mere human?"

"Do not misunderstand," Craniummon shook his head, "I do not defy our lord Yggdrasil, only your methods of following his will. It is with a heavy heart I face you now, LordKnightmon, but you have fallen into darkness."

"And you believe he is free from darkness? He has poisoned your mind, Craniummon." LordKnightmon glared at the redhead. "You are indeed no different from any other despicable human with your impertinent hypocrisy! You who directly caused the world's destruction!" She roughly pushed Craniummon aside before attacking the boy. "Urgent Fear!"

"HiAndromon!" Takumi cried. "Spiral Sword!"

The Ultimate Cyborg quickly threw an energy blade with his arm before SaintGalgomon rammed into LordKnightmon. "Saint Tackle!"

"Spiral Masquerade!" the Royal Knight tried to counter the larger Digimon with her ribbon-like blades. SaintGalgomon tried to block against the attacks but he didn't see LordKnightmon's next attack. "Urgent Fear!" The shockwaves LordKnightmon released from her Pile Bunker sent the super-gigantic Machine Digimon flying into his allies, crushing and pinning them into the ground.

"Everyone, get up!" Takumi hurried towards them. "Stand back up!" he directed them before hanging his head as his muddled mind made it difficult for his team to promptly act. "Everyone…"

"Gaioumon!" Yuuko clenched her fists as her Digimon battled against the Royal Knight on his own.

"Spiral Masquerade!" LordKnightmon quickly knocked Gaioumon aside before sneering at the trembling Takumi. The pitiful sight resulted in her laughing at his hypocritical self. "Just admit defeat to your own darkness, Aiba Takumi. Take responsibilities for your sins and perish!" She dove straight for him as she raised her Pile Bunker back. "Urgent Fear!"

"I won't make excuses for something I can't remember," Takumi stood his ground. "If this really is my fault, of course I have to take responsibility." He snapped his head up towards the incoming Digimon. "But I won't perish! I'll prove to you the strength to overcome the past!" He let out a roar as his team rose behind him. "Xros Combo!"

"End Waltz!" Craniummon aimed the sonic waves towards the opposing Royal Knight.

"Giant Missile!"

"Atomic Ray!" HiAndromon's regulatory turbines on his shoulders began to spin before producing a high energy beam that he fired at LordKnightmon.

The pink Royal Knight stared at the attack in surprise but couldn't evade it. She was sent flying and when she crashed onto the ground. She groaned as she looked towards Takumi to finish her off, but noticed he was calling his Digimon back. LordKnightmon scowled at his actions. "Fool…"

Takumi frowned at her and shook his head. "I have no reason to keep fighting since it'll only just prove your misconceptions of humanity. People _can_ change," he tried to convince her as he tried to reach his hand out to the fallen Royal Knight. "LordKnightmon, this battle is over…"

"No, it isn't!" Yuuko frowned at his soft-heartedness. "Gaioumon!"

"Yuuko!" Takumi grit his teeth as he tried to stop the Dragon Man Digimon with his team. "Stop! What are you doing? We already won!"

"I won't let you get in the way of my revenge! And you said you'd leave this mission to me!" Yuuko told him. "I'm going to end this now!"

"I told you to let those thoughts go!" Takumi scolded her. "You're only going to make things worse!"

"So you're going to just let her live?" the girl asked him. "Even knowing she destroyed the lives of countless others? If we let her go, she'll only continue her plans to destroy our world."

"You don't know that! I believe she can be changed, just like Craniummon," Takumi seriously stated. "That's what it means to overcome darkness! I warned you of the consequences already so I'm telling to stand down! By going through with this, you're going to be admitting that her current view on humanity is correct!"

"If those are the only consequences, then I don't care!" Yuuko looked towards her Digimon as he was looking between Takumi's team and LordKnightmon. "Gaioumon! Do it!"

Obeying her orders, Gaioumon knocked Craniummon and HiAndromon aside before concentrating the energy in the atmosphere into a sphere. "Gaia Reactor!" The ball detonated into a large explosion that even SaintGalgomon couldn't defend against, forcing the Cyber Sleuth into recalling his entire team into his Digivice. Gaioumon roared as he finally reached the fallen LordKnightmon and raised his blades up. "Phosphorous Fire Slash!"

"No!" Takumi cried out but there was nothing else he could do. He tried to reach his hand out to the Digimon in the hopes of scanning her data as she was deleted.

LordKnightmon maniacally laughed though as she disappeared. The Cyber Sleuth collapsed to his hands and knees in failure before taking in the results of the case. He closed his eyes to collect his thoughts and when he was done, he finally stood up. As he did so, his body tingled as he sensed a strange Digital Wave wash over him, but he ignored it. He had much more important things to worry about than his body's current state of affairs.

"I should probably contact Kyoko-san," he said before dialing the office's number. He blinked when he noticed his goggles weren't functioning. "My Digivice isn't responding," he noted as nothing he did seemed to work. He couldn't even access his Digimon so he crossed his arms to consider what to do next. It took him a while to realize it but everything around him was oddly silent. "And come to think of it, Yuuko is gone," he frowned as he really wanted to berate her for her actions. "I wonder if she went back ahead of us," he muttered as she probably didn't want to face him. "That must be it…" He started for the exit before wincing as static washed over him. His entire body began to hurt but he limped out of the labyrinth anyway.

* * *

After a few minutes of wandering, Takumi noticed the streets getting darker and there was still no sign of Yuuko anywhere. Looking ahead of him, he frowned as there was no end in sight. "The pathway goes on…" he continued trudging down the road. "Onward, when we advance, if we do, or not," he told himself with a forced smile.

No matter how far he walked, Takumi began to notice that the scenery was just looping over and over again. Moving his body became even more painful and his breaths were getting raspier. The boy tried to lift his gaze from the ground but his vision blurred.

The Cyber Sleuth frowned as he began to hallucinate children around him. First a girl with long red hair ran across the street before him. "N-nokia…?" Takumi struggled to keep moving. Soon, a boy with messy black hair appeared on the side of road and tried to speak with him. "A-arata…" The teenager shook his head and tried to ignore the apparitions but he noticed a timid girl with black hair crouched down at the side of the street, shaking. "Y-yuuko…" An older boy ran to her in concern. "Y-yuu...go…" Takumi stared down at his body and frowned as his body flickered between images of his younger self and current self.

Seeing as there was no point for him to continue onward, Takumi finally allowed himself to give up. He let his body collapse to the floor and he stared at his gloved hand. A small frown appeared on his face as he wanted to call out to someone for help, but somewhere deep inside of him, he knew no one would be coming for him. He was completely alone here and it was futile for him to keep struggling.

"Am I… being left behind… again…?" he tiredly mumbled to himself. His eyelids began to grow heavy and the rest of his body stopped responding. He let out a weak chuckle as he finally closed his eyes and allowed his internal darkness to overtake him.

* * *

"Hey!" a child suddenly called out, resulting in Takumi slowly opening his eyes.

The Cyber Sleuth blinked as he noticed he was in a strange area of cyberspace. Everything was unsettlingly white and clean. It felt familiar somehow but Takumi soon turned his attention to the four kids running around him. It took a while but once he realized where he was, his blue eyes widened in disbelief.

"This is EDEN eight years ago," he told himself. "I met everyone during the beta test program and I had a really good time," he fondly recalled before a sad frown appeared on his face as he recalled his childhood. "It was the happiest I had ever been in a long time after Dad left Mom and me because of…" His face scrunched up in pain as he brought a hand up to his forehead. "I was so afraid that Mom would leave me too that I ended up withdrawing myself from everything else. I cried a lot back then as I fell into a dark spiral of loneliness. It was hard for me to connect to others again and I didn't know what to do until Mom was asked to cover the EDEN beta test…"

Takumi knit his eyebrows together as he remembered the kind man his mother had been interviewing for her news story. The man had been rather eccentric, but he had taken a great interest in the depressed but very intelligent boy who adamantly remained at the news reporter's side. _"By using this terminal, we can upload mental data straight into cyberspace. Once there in EDEN, the possibilities of what you can mentally do are limitless!"_ Takumi remembered how the man's eyes gleamed in anticipation of the EDEN project being complete. " _EDEN is a new world, unbound by the laws of the real world. There is no suffering in EDEN. You'll be free to do whatever you wish."_ He smiled at the reporter and nodded. " _If you would like, Yukino-san, I can have it arranged so Takumi-kun can experience it himself. He seems to have been through so much already for one so young…"_ he sympathetically frowned at the child staring at him in wonder and fear.

"Suedou-san…" Takumi frowned to himself. "It was thanks to you that I became happy again… Because I carried the same wish you did of a world without sorrow, you gave me the chance to meet my friends…" Tears began running down his face as his emotions overwhelmed him. "I didn't… I don't want to be by myself anymore…!" he cried. "I'm tired of always being left behind!" He let out a frustrated scream before sensing someone approaching him.

"Are you okay, Takumi?" a boy gently asked him. Takumi looked up at the young Yuugo in surprise. "Were you crying again?"

"N-no, I-I'm fine," the redhead automatically forced a smile on his face in response. He used his arms to wipe up the tears on his face. "I'm s-sorry for worrying you, Kamishiro-san."

The boy laughed at him. "I told you, Takumi! It's Yuugo! You can't just refer to Yuuko and me by the same name! Yuu-go!"

"Yuugo…san?" Takumi tried.

"Yuugo! Just Yuugo," Yuugo repeated himself before turning towards his younger sister. "Tell him, Yuuko!"

"Eh?" Yuuko shyly hid behind her brother and stared at Takumi. "Um… that's right. Onii-chan is Yuugo and… um… I'm…" she lowered her gaze and fell silent.

"Kamishiro-san," Takumi nodded.

"Yes," she nodded before she noticed her brother's disapproving frown. "W-wait, no!" she shook her head. "I'm Yuuko," she told the reserved redhead, "T-t-takumi-san."

"Yuuko," Yuugo shook his head at her. "Why are you being so shy for? Just call him Takumi."

"Aiba-san," she muttered.

"Ta-ku-mi," her brother sighed. "Hey, Takumi. Come on. What are our names?"

"Yuugo," Takumi nodded to him before looking towards Yuuko, "and Kamishiro Yuuko-san."

"That's right, Aiba Takumi-san," Yuuko nodded, causing her brother to groan at the awkwardly shy duo.

The older boy paused though as he noticed Takumi had a strange bag beside him. "Hey, what's that you got there, Takumi?"

"Eh?" the quiet blue-eyed boy frowned as he tried to hide it behind his back. "N-nothing…"

"Come on, let us see!" Yuugo smirked at him.

"It's n-nothing…" Takumi blushed. "My mother… er, mom… made me lunch. She thought I'd get hungry running around EDEN… so I took it with me, j-just in case…"

"That's pretty funny!" the older boy laughed. "We're in cyberspace! There's no way we'd get hungry. Right, Yuuko?" he asked his sister. He paused though as he noticed the younger girl was drooling as she stared at Takumi's bag. "Yuuko?"

Takumi nervously frowned at her. "Are you hungry too, Y-yuuko-san? My mother… mom… packed me extra in case I wanted to eat with… f-f-friends."

"Really?" Yuuko brightened up at his offer. "W-wait…!" She quickly dug through her bag and pulled out a bento box. "I asked my papa for lunch too! He probably made all sorts of food for me, but I don't think I can finish it all by myself, so I'll share some with you! Let's eat together, Takumi-kun!" She eagerly pulled on the quiet boy's arm. "Food tastes better when you eat with others!"

"E-eh!?" The introverted boy's blue eyes widened in surprised. "R-right! O-okay!" he nodded to her as Yuuko handed him another bento box. He opened it up and a smile suddenly appeared on his face as he noticed the food had been arranged to look like a small cat. "Ah…! It's so cute!"

Yuuko giggled at her shy friend's silly smirk. "What did your mom pack for you, Takumi-kun?"

"Onigiri," he answered with a smile. "I helped her m-make it too so it's filled with all sorts of things like love and tarako!" Takumi looked up towards the other two kids running around the entrance. "Nokia-san! Arata-san! Would you like some too?"

"We can all eat later!" Yuugo laughed, glad Takumi was slowly opening up. "We've got to at least explore EDEN first to work up an appetite!" he exclaimed before taking off further into the area.

"H-huh?" Takumi looked up towards the running boy and quickly fumbled a bit as he put the lid back onto the bento box. "R-right!"

"Onii-chan!" Yuuko called out to her brother. "Wait up!"

Nokia giggled as she chased after the older boy. "Come on! Hurry up!" she told Yuuko and Takumi.

"W-we're coming!" Takumi nodded.

"Hey, don't just walk off on your own!" Arata scolded the four of them. "Listen to me! I'm older than you!"

"O-kay…!" Nokia raised her hand and smirked.

"S-sorry," Takumi lowered his gaze but he was a bit surprised as Arata began chuckling.

"What are you apologizing for, Takumi?" the boisterous boy asked. "I'm just saying we should all stick together while we explore EDEN!"

"Ah… R-right!" Takumi nodded. "I-I understand!"

"All right, then!" Yuugo exclaimed. "Let's head that way!" he pointed further down the path. "EDEN really is frickin' huge! Let's check out lots of different places!"

The four kids suddenly took off and Takumi quickly went after them. "P-please, wait for me!"

As he chased his friends and relived his past, Takumi lost track of how long he was stuck there. The longer he stayed though, the more difficult it was for him to decipher what was reality. In the end, he could no longer tell whether he was his old self or his current teenage self, but he found that he didn't care. Lost in his childlike wonder, he ran through the area that resembled Cron's first level before he spotted Galacta Park ahead of him. Takumi cheerfully laughed and ran towards it with his arms spread out to the side. "Ah…! Everyone!" he called out to the others. "Look, look! We can do whatever we want here!"

Nokia nodded in agreement as she chased him. "We should never, ever stop playing here."

"Absolutely!" Yuuko stated. "We'll always be together!"

Takumi nodded with a bright smile on his face. "Oh, what fun! It'd be great if the present can last forever!" He winced as he remembered this wasn't really happening though. The boy brought hand up to his forehead as he partially came to his senses. "If only the past can last forever, too…" He frowned as there was something dangerously familiar about his words. "W-why…?"

"But of course!" Yuugo nodded. "We'll always be together!"

"We should never, ever leave here!" Arata declared. "Don't you think so?"

Takumi lifted his gaze towards his friends and wryly smiled at their promise to remain together. "I… want to stay here forever," he softly stated with a nod. He flinched when a light flashed around them. When he lowered his arms, he spotted a strange glowing ball floating in the air.

"What's that?" Yuugo asked. He walked towards it and the three others followed him.

Takumi was about to do the same but he faintly heard ringing. He tilted his head to the side as he wondered what it could be. "I hear something. Something is crying out. Something important." Thinking it was probably something that could pull him back into reality, he began to raise his right hand up to the goggles he always wore. He stopped though when Arata called back to him with his arms crossed.

"What're you doing, Takumi?"

Takumi stared at the four kids looking back towards him and listened to the faint ringing. In the end, he finally reached up to his goggles and pulled them off his head. After deciding he didn't need nor want them anymore, Takumi discarded his Digivice without another thought. The beeping soon stopped and without them distracting him, he quickly stepped towards the strange light. "Sorry…" he apologized to his friends as his goggles clattered on the ground behind him. He smiled and reached his gloved hand towards the strange light. "Let's go check it out, everyone!" he nodded before touching the glowing orb. His blue eyes widened as the ball suddenly turned into a strange tear in EDEN. It was like a window to another world and without thinking of the consequences he allowed himself to fall into it.

* * *

"Takumi?" Yuuko looked around the streets of Akihabara in confusion.

After she had defeated LordKnightmon, she had noticed the Cyber Sleuth was gone. He must have been angry at her actions so left early before he could lose his temper. But still, she had expected to find him waiting for her near the labyrinth's entrance as he cooled off. It wasn't like him to just leave without an explanation of some sort.

"Takumi?" she called out again in the hopes he was nearby.

She sighed when there was no answer. Maybe he really was upset and didn't want to face her so soon. Yuuko sadly frowned to herself but decided this was probably for the best. She'll just stop by the agency to apologize to him later. In fact, maybe it would best if she treated him to another food tour to make it up to him. He was fairly simple to please and his kind-heartedness meant he was also very forgiving. At least, that was what she hoped.

Yuuko knit her eyebrows together in worry when there was still no sign of the redhead anywhere. "Takumi…" She took in a deep breath before starting for Nakano but paused when she spotted something on the ground that made her blood run cold. She hurried over to the object in question and knelt down at the familiar pair of goggles. "H-huh…?" She picked it up and checked the Digivice's user ID before letting out a short gasp. "Takumi!" She rose to her feet and looked around Akihabara, wondering where he disappeared to this time.

* * *

 **Final Notes:** I totally blame Yuuko for what happened. Takumi might not be angry at her, but I am. Although... Yuuko was sort of right. Takumi's weakness ended up costing him. But I still hold that Yuuko should have been a bit more careful and not so focused on her revenge. Really... Yuuko and Takumi is the worst team, in my opinion, because you have someone who's not used to being with others, let alone working with others, combined with a person who is way too emphatic and frankly doesn't care if anything bad happens to him so long as others around him are better off. Nokia and Arata have their own problems sure, but at least they're aware of Takumi's deficiencies. But Yuuko not really being aware of it all can just be chalked up to the fact that she hasn't really known Takumi for that long. Still, Yuuko and Takumi would be cute together... as messed up as they are... Oh yeah, because Knightmon can _only_ become one of three Royal Knights, I went with the Royal Knight that isn't all gung-ho about destroying humanity. It'd be really awkward having Takumi trying to collect LordKnightmon's and Duftmon's data anyways... For one thing, I'm pretty sure he's traumatized by LordKnightmon. For another, Duftmon isn't defeated until near the end... Also... I still feel bad about how Craniummon died... Stupid Suedou. Now the only Digimon on Takumi's team that hasn't evolved is MegaloGrowmon. He won't be Dukemon, by the way. Dukemon's dead... I killed him off in the story... on accident... Whoops... Oh well...


	27. Lost, Lost Memories

**Author's Notes:** I seriously didn't think the TakumiXYuuko thing would be so popular... I just threw it in because I thought it'd be cute and funny, but I never really intended it to be important. I always meant for it to be there and it would be eventually be resolved in a minor way. Like Ryota and Sakura's relationship. I mainly think the most important aspect of the game was Takumi's friendships, especially with Kyoko. So I guess, kind of like a reverse of my Persona 3 story. Anyway, it's time for Nokia to be a hero!

* * *

"What?" Nokia paused as Yuuko finished explaining to them what had happened in Akihabara. "Where did Takumi go?"

"It would seem that he's gone," Kyoko seriously stated with crossed arms.

Nokia tried to let out an easygoing laugh to cut the tension that was beginning to grow in the room. "It's okay! Takumi's disappeared like that before and then came back as if nothing had happened," she pointed out, remembering the last time he went off on his own. "I'm sure it's just a character quirk!" She crookedly smiled at Yuuko. "Are you, uh, feeling me?"

Kyoko shook her head. "Except this time, it's different." She finally placed the goggles she had been analyzing down on her desk.

Nokia's eyes widened at the sight of them. "Is this… Takumi's?" She knit her eyebrows together and shook her head in disbelief. "What's going on? Hey, Kyoko-san! Yuuko-chi?" Nokia looked between them.

"I don't know," Yuuko lowered her gaze as a guilty frown appeared on her face. "By the time I noticed, he had already…" she fell silent, unable to face what had happened.

"Takumi was caught up in a cunning trap by LordKnightmon, it seems," Kyoko stated.

"A trap by LordKnightmon!?" Yuuko knit her eyebrows together as a part of her felt responsible for falling for it.

"LordKnightmon used whatever trickery she could to eliminate both you and Takumi," the detective continued. "It seems Takumi took all due precautions," she proudly smiled at the boy's skillful luck. "We're lucky we at least found his Digivice. I analyzed preexisting log data to determine the location at which we lost my assistant," she nodded before looking up at her monitor.

"D-did you find Takumi?" Nokia asked. "Where, where? Where's Takumi?"

"In a place we know," the woman crossed her arms. "The last place registered in the log is the area that was used to demo the EDEN updates."

Yuuko gasped at that. "That area has been cut off since the Eaters showed up. Given how the main areas have taken priority for reconstruction and maintenance, I imagine this area has been rather neglected."

"Hmm…" Kyoko brought a hand up to her mouth. "The Digital Wave strength is off the charts in that section. A Royal Knights hideout?"

"But we were in Akihabara…" Yuuko knit her eyebrows together. "And then when I wasn't looking, Takumi went off alone to another area…" She lowered her gaze again. "I… didn't notice…"

"That just shows how clever the trap was," Kyoko stated, trying to reassure the girl it wasn't her fault the detective's assistant was missing. "It would probably be a waste to tell you not to worry, but anyway, acting is better than fretting. Takumi knows that very well. That's why…" her eyes flashed, "We're going to get my assistant back from LordKnightmon!" she declared with a nod.

The raven-haired teen looked up at the detective in surprise before nodding in understanding. "Yes, of course…!"

"Excellent, Kyoko-san!" Nokia crossed her arms and smirked. "That's exactly what we have to do!"

"Hmm…" Kyoko smirked and picked up Takumi's goggles. "Let's start with this Digivice… I'm entrusting this to you, Shiramine Nokia," she nodded and placed them in the red-haired girl's hand.

"That's exactly what we have to do!" Nokia nodded. "Part Tw—!" she paused before staring at Takumi's Digivice. "Wait, what? To… me?" she nervously asked with a crooked smirk.

Kyoko crossed her arms and nodded to the leader of Rebellions. "Just bring the Digimon Takumi met and have them join in the rescue effort. We will most definitely need their assistance! The Digimon seem to trust you in particular," she said before looking over towards Yuuko who quickly averted her gaze. "You should be able to draw out their power."

"R-roger that!" Nokia nodded. "I will lend a hand…" She shook her head. "No, no! Make that two hands!"

Yuuko clenched her fists and turned to the turquoise-eyed girl. "Nokia-san, I'll go with you!" she told her. "It's my fault Takumi is missing, so I must help!"

"Oh?" Nokia grinned at her. "Will you be pitching in too? Two schoolgirls, flailing all over together!"

Yuuko blinked at her as Nokia was just as random as Takumi, perhaps even more so. "Y-yes… Let's flail on out!"

"I'm not sure why you're flailing about," Kyoko blinked at the pair of girls, "but please, find my assistant." The teenagers seriously nodded to her in understanding. "It goes without saying that I'll be your backup," the woman smirked.

"Yay! Let's go!" Nokia exclaimed. "Hold on, Takumi! We're comin' to rescue you!"

"Uh… yeah!" Yuuko also tried to cheer.

Kyoko chuckled at their enthusiasm. "Shiramine Nokia, give me your Digivice. You can't log in to two EDEN accounts at once, after all."

Nokia blinked at that. "W-wait! But what about Omegamon!?"

"I know you're worried that Omegamon can't tag along, but the Digimon my assistant raised will be plenty of help," the detective reassured her. "There's no need to be concerned. They've been with him for a long time now and will, of course, be more than willing to help you find their beloved tamer," she chuckled. "Head to EDEN's upgrade preview area. I'm counting on you to find my assistant."

Yuuko frowned to herself. "Kyoko-san… do you really believe he's okay?"

"Eh?" Nokia blinked at her friend. "Yuuko-chi?"

"Oh?" the detective raised an eyebrow at the raven-haired teen. "Are you worried about him?" Yuuko lowered her gaze, resulting in Kyoko shaking her head at the girl. "I believe in my assistant and his capacity to persevere. He won't give up on his beliefs so easily because he knows what will happen if he does."

"What if someone he trusts forces him to give up on those beliefs of his?" the raven-haired teen asked.

"He'll still believe in them with all his strength," Kyoko answered with a certain nod. Yuuko stared at her with wide confused eyes. "That's just the sort of person my assistant is. I believe in Takumi and he believes in everybody, despite the difficulties. That is what 'connects' him to the world he so wishes to protect."

"That's right," Nokia nodded as she crossed her arms. "It's because of Takumi that I was able to form Rebellions and evolve Agumon and Gabumon into Omegamon. I guess… he helped me evolve too."

Yuuko thought back to when Takumi Connect Jumped into Eater Eve to save her and when he assisted her in facing Yuugo's avatar. "I see…" She chuckled to herself. "So he was only able to help me back then because of those beliefs."

"Takumi really is always helping everyone around him," Nokia noticed. "But now it's our turn to help him!" The energetic girl clenched Takumi's goggles tightly in her hand. "Let's go, Yuuko-chi!" She ran towards the agency's television and pointed the boy's Digivice towards it. She grunted as she tried to use the pair of goggles to activate Takumi's ability to dive straight into EDEN.

"What are you doing, Nokia-san?" Yuuko frowned at her.

"Takumi could Connect Jump…" the redhead responded as she shook Takumi's goggles around. Nokia chuckled as nothing was happening. "Figured that wouldn't work." Nokia sighed and walked around the sofas, passing Takumi's whiteboard. "Huh, so this is a real detective's case board… Whoops, there's no time for that! We've got to go save Takumi, quick!" The easily distracted girl finally made it to the agency's exit. "We're off, Kyoko-san! Just leave Takumi to us!"

Yuuko wryly smiled at that. "Hopefully we'll be able to save him… It might just turn out that he'll have to save us instead though…" She politely bowed to the detective. "We're going."

"Have a safe trip." Kyoko chuckled as the two girls finally left. Now that she was the only one in the agency, the detective leaned back in her seat and crossed her arms. "You really do have such interesting friends that care about you, Takumi." She seriously frowned to herself as she studied Takumi's last few recordings of EDEN again.

 _"I… want to stay here forever…"_ his recorded voice meekly stated. Although it was subtle, Kyoko distinctly detected the bitter selfishness reflected in the teen's weak tone.

"Takumi…" the detective thought about her assistant's current state of mind. "Will you allow yourself to be saved?"

* * *

Nokia looked around at the blindingly white space. "Hey, Yuuko-chi! Is this one of the upgraded sections of EDEN?" she asked. "What I mean is… there's… nothing here, right?"

"No, all of the data here has been overwritten," Yuuko stated. "This was probably EDEN before it launched. This is a reproduction of Cron as it was back in the very beginning. I saw it in reference videos. I'm sure of it," she nodded to Nokia.

"Well, what do you know?" Nokia crossed her arms. "Huh. I guess that's why this place feels so familiar to me. Like I've got déjà vu." She frowned as a strange sense of nostalgia washed over her. "There's been a tightening in my chest. It's a really weird feeling…"

"That must mean you…" Yuuko stared at the girl in surprise as she remembered what it was LordKnightmon had revealed to her and Takumi earlier. "No, never mind," she frowned. "I think it's because we've been here before."

"What?" Nokia blinked at her. "What do you mean?"

"I didn't believe it before, but now I do," Yuuko knit her eyebrows together. "The answer lies ahead," she said, staring at the road ahead of them. "If we press on, we will surely…" she clenched her fists together and started off, in the hopes Takumi would be there waiting for them.

"What?" Nokia didn't understand and watched as Yuuko went ahead of her. "Hang on, Yuuko-chi!" She quickly chased after her but paused as she heard a woman's voice speaking to her.

"Can you hear me?"

"Who's that!?" Nokia cried out in surprise. Yuuko stopped too as she searched around them.

"Takumi is gone, so for now, I'll help you," the voice stated. "Alright, close your eyes…"

Nokia and Yuuko obeyed before they felt the world around them fade. Both girls looked around in surprise as they found themselves in a strange room. Mirei smirked as they answered her call without a problem. Nokia nervously shrunk back under the woman's gaze. "S-so… where are we?"

"Welcome to the DigiLab," Mirei nodded. "Originally this space was for Takumi to raise his Digimon, but… Destiny has… shifted," she stated, "and I need your help. Your destinies reside elsewhere, so functionality is limited. Nevertheless, please use this place effectively," she pointed over to the terminals.

Yuuko studied each facility carefully. "I see… This is how Takumi is able to train his Digimon and care for them. It's no wonder his team is always so well-prepared for battle."

"Well, we'd better buck up too!" Nokia cried as she scrolled through the Cyber Sleuth's vast collection of Digimon. "Let's begin the Save Takumi At All Costs Initiative!"

"Right!" Yuuko nodded in agreement.

* * *

The two girls continued further into EDEN's Beginning before Nokia spotted something ahead of them. "Ah! That! Look at that, Yuuko-chi!"

"Huh!?" Yuuko's eyes widened as she ran towards the red-haired boy waving at them. "Takumi!?" She flinched as the boy flashed in front of her and was replaced by a crying younger boy resembling their friend. "Is that really… Takumi?" As the girls got closer to him, the small boy tensed up before wiping his face with his arm. He quickly turned around before running away from them. "Takumi!"

"I don't know why," Nokia frowned, "but we gotta get out of here! Let's go, Yuuko-chi! Let's follow Takumi-chan!" She quickly took off after the young boy.

Yuuko remained in place though as the child felt extremely familiar and it wasn't just because he looked like Takumi. "That's… that's it!" the girl exclaimed before looking at the ground. "I remember now. Yes, way back then…" she frowned to herself, "Onii-chan and Arata were saying that they had found something 'interesting'…"

"Oh, crap," Nokia said as she ran back towards her. "What are you doing, Yuuko-chi?" she asked. "Our prey is getting away!"

Yuuko watched Nokia take off again and worriedly knit her eyebrows together. She absently followed Nokia into Galacta Park and both girls froze as they saw a group of children gathered around a strange light.

"Knock it off!" a girl with black hair frowned. "It might be dangerous!"

"It's okay, I said!" an older boy with messy black hair reassured her. "You're such a scaredy-cat, Yuuko!"

"I… I am not!" the girl pouted. The younger Yuuko turned to look at the girl with long red hair at her side. "But if it is dangerous… Why don't you stop too, Nokia-chan?"

"Hmm…" the younger Nokia thought about it before cheering. "It's okay, it's okay!"

The worried girl looked over to the quiet red-haired boy nervously standing behind them. "Hey… Takumi-kun… You agree with me, don't you?"

The scrawny boy nodded and meekly called out to the older boys. "H-hey… Yuugo-san… Arata-san… Aren't we s-supposed to report w-weird things we find to the a-adults?"

"Man, you're such a wimp, Takumi!" Arata laughed at him. "Where's your sense of adventure?"

Yuugo flashed the younger boy a reassuring smile. "It'll be alright! Papa said everything in EDEN is completely safe! And I told you to drop the honorifics, didn't I?"

"S-sorry," Takumi lowered his gaze and frowned at the floor, "Yuugo…"

"Onii-chan, you promised me you'd stop picking on Takumi-kun!" Yuuko scolded her brother.

"N-no, it's alright, Yuuko-san," Takumi shook his head. "H-he's right… I-I… shouldn't be s-so formal… with my f-f-friends…" he stated with a blush. "U-um… w-we're friends, right….? Y-yuugo?"

Yuugo shook his head at him. "Of course, we're friends!"

"Ah…" the obedient boy sighed in relief. "F-friends…" he nodded.

Nokia giggled at the introverted boy. "Takumi-chan's like a cute baby brother! He's so easy to tease!"

"E-eh…!?" Takumi tensed up at that. "T-that's not true… is it?"

"Of course, it's not!" Yuuko reassured him.

Arata laughed as he put Takumi into a headlock. "Well, aren't you something, Takumi? Getting a girl to fight your battles for you!"

"S-sorry…" the boy muttered but he didn't struggle out of the bigger boy's grasp.

"Hey, Arata, let him go," Yuugo smiled. "You know he's not really comfortable with telling you off."

"Right, right," Arata sighed as he listened to his best friend. He helped Takumi straighten up but sternly shook his head at the quiet boy. "Stand up for yourself, huh, Takumi? You'll never get anywhere with that attitude. You want to be strong like my best bud Yuugo, right? Then buck up!"

"R-right," Takumi nodded. "I-I understand, Arata-san… er, Arata."

"So," Yuugo asked, "what do _you_ want to do, Takumi?"

"Right now?" the blue-eyed boy blushed. "I want to eat…" He tensed up as his friends stared at him strangely. "Oh…! S-sorry! You mean about the l-light?" Takumi stared at the glowing ball for a while. "Just w-what is it exactly?" he asked as he reached his right hand out to it. His fingers lightly brushed against it and he flinched as the sphere burst into a strange glowing tear in EDEN's space. "Ah!" he let out a yelp as he toppled backwards.

"Takumi-kun!" Yuuko knelt at his side.

"Takumi-chan!" Nokia looked him over too.

"I-I'm fine!" he stammered as he got back up.

Arata looked open at the cracked hole that opened up before them. "Hey! Look at this, Yuugo!" he exclaimed. "We can go inside here!" He quickly demonstrated by sticking his head into the hole to look around.

"You're right, Arata!" Yuugo's eyes glowed in excitement as he did the same. "You wanna check it out?"

"Yeah! Let's go!" Arata eagerly nodded. "You'll come too, won't you, Takumi?" he turned towards the red-haired boy who tensed up. "You were the one who opened it up, after all!"

"Eh!? M-me…?" Takumi stared at the hole in wonder. "I… w-want to explore it w-w-with everyone!" he nodded.

Arata and Yuugo smirked to each other before diving straight into the crack. Takumi gulped as he quickly chased after them. Nokia giggled as she joined the three boys on their adventure. Yuuko hesitantly looked around, but not wanting to be left behind, she quickly followed too.

When the children disappeared, the present-day Nokia stared at the strange hole in surprise. "Wh-what was that just now? Takumi and Arata and me and you and…"

"And my brother…" Yuuko knit her eyebrows together.

Both girls walked closer to the crack and Nokia's eyes widened. "That light!"

"It can't be…" the raven-haired teen nervously frowned.

Nokia reached out a hand towards it, but paused as a gentle voice began speaking to her. "Are you sure about this?" Yuuko tensed up as it felt very familiar to her and both girls turned to see an older, ghostly version of Yuugo approach them. "The past sleeps beyond that light…" he told them. "The lost… and forgotten… past."

"Onii-chan!?" Yuuko gasped.

"Y-yuugo-kun!?" Nokia stared at him in disbelief.

"Yuuko…" Yuugo kindly smiled at his sister. "At long last, we meet again."

"Onii-chan…" the younger sibling began to cry. "It's really you!"

"Even I'm not sure if I'm really me," Yuugo frowned. "I seem to be more of a phantom these days… giving rise to Eaters."

"Huh…?" Nokia blinked.

"What do you mean?" Yuuko asked.

"When I joined the EDEN beta test eight years ago, I encountered an Eater and was attacked," the boy explained. "My mental data was absorbed and I couldn't return to my body. But my mental data was not destroyed. It remained, captured by the Eater, in some place."

"Some place?" Yuuko knit her eyebrows together as she studied her brother's completely digital body. "If we go there, can we help you?"

"I won't say where," Yuugo shook his head. "I want you to stay away from danger. I'll just say it's a place in the Digital World."

"The Digital World!?" Nokia exclaimed.

"And while I've been there…" the boy continued, "I've been watching over you all. There were times when I believed I revealed myself, I appeared as a phantom."

"Ah! So you're the 'Ghost of the Pale Boy' everyone's been going on about!" Nokia realized.

"That was a fragment of my memory that the Eater had digitized," Yuugo stated. "Have I convinced you I'm not really a ghost?" he asked them with a sad smile.

"I guess so," Nokia nervously answered as she crossed her arms. "But ghosts aren't scary anyway…" she tried to bluff.

"So then the reports of a boy in white being spotted whenever Eaters appear…" Yuuko frowned.

"You could say that the Eaters and I are the same," Yuugo nodded to her. "The Eaters are one and all. All Eaters share all memories and all information in all instances. I am but one part of that network. So wherever an Eater is, so too am I. Conversely, I cannot exist without an Eater."

"Onii-chan…" His sister's eyes worriedly stared at him.

"Yuuko…" the older brother stared into her face, "Will you really go? The Digital World lies beyond this light… A lost past awaits you there. It takes a lot of bravery to learn this truth," he hesitantly stated.

Yuuko lowered her gaze to the floor and thought about it. "I've learned how to be brave," she told him. "From Papa and from you… And from my friends," she nodded, looking towards Nokia and Takumi's goggles. "That's why I'm going!" she stated to her brother.

"Wow, Yuuko-chi!" Nokia smiled at her. "That's… something unreal!" She crossed her arms and grinned at her friend. "Can I hug you and squeeze you?"

"Eh?" Yuuko turned towards the red-haired girl in surprise. "What's this? All of a sudden? Nokia-san, wait! Hang on!"

Yuugo stared at them both with an odd frown before chuckling. "All right, I understand," he nodded. "If you're mentally prepared, move into the light. Be careful…" he warned them. "Like I said… Wherever I am, so too are the Eaters. And as for the truth…" Yuugo's expression dampened. "Tell Takumi… none of this is his fault… No matter how much I call to him, he won't respond, but if it's you two… I'm sure he'll be fine." Both girls gasped as Yuugo faded away.

"Uh…" Nokia didn't really know what to say.

Yuuko sighed. "Wait for me, onii-chan. I'll be the one coming to see you next!"

Nokia nodded at that and flashed the raven-haired girl a smile. "And I'll be with you, okay? And Takumi too, of course! And I'm sure that dork Arata will be there, too!"

Yuuko stared at her friend in surprise. "Of course," she smiled. "Because you're all my friends," she nodded. "Friends…?" She paused as thought back to Takumi's firm resolve whenever it came to his friends. Her smile faded though when she compared the Takumi she knew with the younger Takumi she just saw. "Takumi's… fault?" She clenched her fists as she made up her mind. "So we really do have to save Takumi…"

Nokia nodded as they turned face the portal to the Digital World. "Let's go, Yuuko-chi!"

"All right, Nokia-san!" the raven-haired girl nodded back. The two ran towards the portal without another thought.

* * *

"I've lost their signal as well…" Kyoko frowned at her monitor and began typing a few codes into her computer. She sat back in her chair and closed her eyes as she tried to come up with a backup plan. After a few minutes, her eyes snapped open and she was on her feet. "This marks the end of a long blank." She crossed her arms and smirked to herself as she prepared to make her move.

* * *

Yuuko and Nokia spotted Takumi's younger self rushing ahead of the child Yuugo. The introverted boy turned around to face Arata as Yuugo ran past him to get a better look of the strange jungle. Takumi shared a few words with both boys and eventually Arata and he nodded to each other. The three children took off again to see what else they could find.

Yuuko watched them disappear into the distance while Nokia looked around in wonder. The red-haired girl smiled at the wondrous sight. "So this is… the Digital World?"

"It's a very beautiful place," Yuuko smiled. She studied the jungle's various plants before something caught her eye. "Nokia-san! That's…!"

Nokia looked over to where Yuuko was pointing at and gasped as her younger self was speaking to two very familiar Digimon. "Umm… Who are you?" the orange dinosaur asked.

"Ahem! I'm Nokia!" the girl exclaimed. "And just who are you?" she curiously asked back.

"Me?" the dinosaur smiled as he began jumping up and down. "My name is Agumon!"

The fur-wearing Digimon shyly hid behind his friend as he stared at the ground. "I… I'm Gabumon."

"Agumon and Gabumon?" Nokia brought her hand up to her mouth before giggling. "What weird names!"

"Hey, they're not weird!" Gabumon looked up at her.

"You're the one with the weird name!" Agumon nodded in agreement.

"As if!" the girl pouted. "My name's not weird!" she laughed.

In the distance, the other kids were gathered around a group of Baby I Digimon. "Whoa!" Arata stared at the creatures in surprise. "What are these things?"

"There's a lot of weird things here," Yuugo stated.

"Huh?" Yuuko frowned at the two boys. "They're not weird. They're cute!" She crouched to the ground and began to pet a Botamon's head. "Right, Takumi-kun?"

"That's right!" the boy's blue eyes glowed as he picked up a Kuramon and hugged it. "Ah…! So cute!" he grinned.

"You think so?" Arata frowned at them and scratched his head.

"Hmm…" Yuugo brought a hand up to his head. "If you look closely, I guess they're cute?"

"No, they're definitely cute, Yuugo-san," Takumi stated. "Ah… Yuugo," he quickly corrected himself. He picked up a Punimon and placed it on his head. "Hey, hey, Yuuko-san! Look, look! Which of these do you think is the cutest?" he asked her. "For me, it's definitely this one!"

Yuuko giggled at how animated the redhead was at their discovery. "Takumi-kun is cutest!"

"E-eh…?" Takumi's cheeks turned red. "M-me…?"

"Of course, Takumi-chan!" Nokia giggled in agreement from where she stood.

"I-is that so…?" the shy boy sheepishly smiled.

Arata laughed at him. "Jeez, it's hard to tell if you're really a boy or not." He shook his head before looking back up to the girl not with them. "Hey, Nokia! I told you not to go off on your own!"

"Hey, Agumon, Gabumon!" Nokia grinned at the two Digimon. "Come and play with us! We're on a big adventure right now! You can join us on our big adventure!"

"Uh, s-sure!" Gabumon nodded.

"Yeah!" Agumon cheered.

The kids and the Digimon took off further into the Digital World as the teenage Nokia frowned to herself. "Agumon, Gabumon… So we did meet before, after all."

The two teenagers followed the kids a while longer before Arata quickly rounded everyone up to go. The child Yuuko sadly frowned at that. "Are we really going home already?" she asked.

"I-I…" Takumi frowned. "I want to stay…"

"If we don't go soon, the adults will get worried," Arata pointed out.

Nokia let out an excited cry. "That was fun! We got to make new friends, too!"

"N-new… friends…?" Takumi blinked as he looked at all of the Digimon they met and played with. A small smile appeared on his face. "Y-yeah, we d-did!" he nodded. "I… I want to play with them again!"

"We definitely gotta come back here!" Nokia agreed. "All of us!"

"Y-yeah…" Takumi knit his eyebrows together as his four friends turned towards the portal leading back home. He frowned to himself as he didn't really want to go. If he did, he would have to part with his friends. He would also have to return to the real world, where things such as sorrow and loneliness exist. "It'd be great if the present can last forever…" he muttered. A weird wave of static washed over them but the redhead didn't seem to notice.

His friends however gasped in surprise. Yuugo tensed up as he stared at the way home. "Huh!? What!?"

"If only the past can last forever, too…" Takumi clenched his fists as he wanted to prolong their stay for as long as he could.

"Something's… coming…" Yuugo gasped as he backed away from their only way home.

The children watched as a strange black and white creature with tentacles emerged from the portal. They backed away from it out of fear but Takumi remained still. "Forever and ever…" he muttered with his eyes closed. "We should never, ever leave here!" he cried out, not wanting to be alone anymore.

"Takumi!" Yuugo called out to him. "You shouldn't stand there!"

"Huh!?" Takumi opened his eyes and finally noticed the monster that emerged from the dimensional crack. "Ah…!" The boy was frozen in place, but thankfully Yuugo sharply pulled him back to safety.

"Takumi-chan!" Nokia let out a scared squeak.

"Let's get out of here!" Arata shouted.

"But where can we run to?" Yuuko asked.

"We can only go back the way we came!" Arata exclaimed.

"But…" Yuuko shrunk back and frowned at the Eater standing in their way.

"It's okay, Yuuko," her brother reassured her. "I'll draw that thing away so you can escape," he told them. "Go! Run!" Yuugo took a step forward, ready to lure the Eater away.

"You can't do that, Onii-chan!" Yuuko cried. "It's too dangerous!"

"Arata," Yuugo clenched his fists, "look after the others, okay?"

"Yuugo…" Arata stared at his best friend with wide eyes. He nodded though as he accepted the responsibility of protecting the younger kids. "Okay, leave it to me!"

Finally snapped out of his stupor, Takumi quickly called out to the older boy. "Yuugo-san!" He wanted to stop his role model but Arata firmly held him back.

The teenage Nokia gasped as she fearfully watched the kids run for their lives. "That's right," she managed to find her voice. "Back then, we…"

Yuuko shook her head as she couldn't believe what was happening right in front of them. "No… Onii-chan… Stop!" she cried out, despite knowing the past couldn't be changed.

"Yuugo-san!" Takumi screamed when Yuugo was cornered by the monster.

"Onii-chan!" the younger Yuuko called out too.

"Yuugo, this way! Hurry!" Arata hoarsely yelled on the top of his lungs.

"It's… I'm okay!" Yuugo tried to put on a brave face for them. "I can handle it! You have to get out of here n—" he tensed up as the Eater let out a terrible screech. He turned to face it but the monster suddenly engulfed him.

"Yuugo!" Takumi watched as the older boy was gone.

At his side, Yuuko screamed in despair. "Noooooo! Onii-chan… Onii-chan!"

"N-no…" Arata couldn't believe it. "Y-yuu…go?"

Nokia began to cry. "We… we gotta help him…" she struggled to say between her sobs. "Hurry… We have to… save him…"

"Help… him?" Arata hesitantly gasped. He stared at Yuugo's arm poking out from underneath the Eater and screamed. "There's nothing we can do! There's no time!"

"Yuugo!" Takumi tried to run towards his friend. Despite his fear and tears, he wanted to do everything he could to save him. He just had to. "Yuugo!"

Arata quickly pulled the reckless redhead back. "We have to give up!" he cried. "There's no way! Otherwise, we'll be… We'll be next!"

"I don't care! Yuugo is my… Yuugo is our friend!" Takumi roared as he struggled against the taller boy. "We have to save him!" He tried to wrestle Arata out of his way. "YUUGO!"

"Shut up!" Arata punched the younger boy in the gut to silence him. "We need to go! We need to get outta here! Running's all we can do!"

Takumi clenched his fists as he stared at the Eater. As much as he didn't want to admit it, Arata was right. There was nothing he could do to protect himself against the monster or stop it from coming after the rest of his friends. He forced himself to turn around. "L-let's… Let's go!" he called out to the crying girls. He made sure they were ahead of him before following them to the exit.

Arata was right behind him but he stopped to get one last look of his best friend. He tensed up as Yuugo's arm twitched. The raven-haired boy screamed at the sight before turning around and escaping.

Suddenly the world turned white. The teenage Nokia and Yuuko frowned at the conclusion of such a horrible memory. The raven-haired girl took in deep breaths as she tried not to hyperventilate. "Onii-chan… Onii-chan!" She closed her eyes as she tried to forget the images repeating themselves in her mind.

"So then this is our forgotten past?" Nokia asked. "This all really… happened? And if he's remembering this too…" The red-haired girl clasped her hands over her heart. "Ara…ta!"

Yuuko frowned as she also realized why Arata threw himself away for power. Still, she was also worried about Takumi since she now understood why the Cyber Sleuth is the way he is. "Takumi…"

Both girls looked around to see where they could go, but paused as the scenery around them changed again. They were back in Galacta Park with all of the children, or rather all of the escaped children.

The younger Arata gasped as he stared at the space the portal had been before. He watched as Takumi stubbornly tried to search for a way back into the Digital World. "Yuugo!" Takumi frantically cried out. "Yuugo!"

When the redhead finally gave up, Arata shook his head at his friend. "This is… cyberspace," he reminded the sobbing younger boy. "It's not reality," he said with uncertainty. "Which means that Yuugo—the real Yuugo—must be safe," he tried to rationalize. He brought a hand up to his forehead. "I watched out for all of you. It was all I could do… All I could do…" Arata began to cry too.

"Yuu…go…" Takumi fell to his hands and his knees. His stared at his dripping tears as he thought back to his selfish wish of wanting to have his happy moment last forever. Because of him, the first friend who had ever reached a hand out to him was now gone. "I'm sorry, Yuugo…" He closed his eyes and continued to sob to himself. "I'm so sorry…!"

The older Yuuko frowned to herself as around them, Galacta Park faded into its current dilapidated state. "My brother was protecting us," she shakily said. "And to think… I had forgotten… everything."

"Could that Eater actually have come from our world, then?" Nokia asked. "Is it our fault that the Eaters came to the Digital World? Did Takumi really…?"

"Indeed!" a jeering voice told them before LordKnightmon dropped down from the sky. "Have you recalled the heinous crime you committed? The seal on your memory has at last been broken," she sneered. "If you don't remember, this all means nothing." The girls tensed up as static washed over them and Eaters suddenly appeared to surround them. LordKnightmon relished the sudden looks of panic on their faces. "You stumbled heedlessly into the Digital World and foolishly called the Eaters with you. The door closed with the trash left behind. Then the world's order began to unravel. Thus begins the world's end!" the Royal Knight exclaimed.

Nokia and Yuuko backed into each other as the Eaters closed in on them. Yuuko let out a panicked gasp and Nokia screamed as there was nowhere else for them to go.

"That's right!" LordKnightmon watched in anticipation as they squirmed. "Tremble in despair! Pay for your crime! Begone from existence!" The Digimon's voice suddenly became higher and more feminine. "This feeling, girl, gives me shivers of joy," she maniacally giggled before it soon reverted back to LordKnightmon's gloating laugh.

* * *

Kyoko clenched her fists around the steering wheel of her Alfa Romeo Montreal and floored her gas pedal. The street was completely empty as she sped down the road with a determined frown on her face. "Heh… 'Choose the future…' I will believe in that uncertain possibility!" Despite already being at the highest gear, Kyoko quickly reached for the gear shift. She quickly maneuvered the lever towards her and let out a fierce cry as a digital distortion opened up before her car. The vehicle crackled with red sparks, but without hesitation, she drove straight into the opening.

The car glowed in a yellow light and Kyoko calmly continued forward as the vehicle became pure energy. It combined with her to form a Digimon with black armor and a flowing blue mantle. Her red eyes glowed as she focused on the path before her. She picked up the signature of Takumi's half-cyber body straight ahead and quickly rushed forward to save her assistant and his friends.

* * *

"Eh?" Nokia looked around the empty network in confusion. "What? What!? Was that… Was that an Eater? But what is this? Where are we?"

Yuuko's eyes widened as she spotted Takumi down on his knee, panting for air. "Ah, Takumi!" His eyes were closed and his body was completely battered and bruised. His digital signature was even more unstable than before and wanting to help him, Yuuko started for his side. She paused though when she noticed the large Digimon looming over him.

Takumi's eyes snapped open at the familiar presence. He pushed himself back onto his feet and turned to face the large Digimon that had saved him once before when he had been lost in the Digital World. "It's y-you…!" he gasped in surprise.

"What?" Nokia tensed up, uncertain whether this new Digimon was on their side or not. "Another incredible Digimon has appeared! I can't believe it! What is going on!?"

The black-armored Digimon turned to face LordKnightmon and protectively stood in front of the hurt Cyber Sleuth. Yuuko blinked at the newcomer's actions. "You will… protect us?"

Takumi winced due to his chest pain and frowned to himself. "W-why…?" he asked. "Why would you s-save me…?"

"You!" LordKnightmon glared at the large knight. "You dare interfere with me!? I don't know who you are, but get out of my way! No, crush them!" she tried to order the Digimon. "Delete them, immediately! Those humans have destroyed our Digital World! They are criminals who must never be forgiven!"

Takumi's frown deepened as he hung his head in shame. "That's r-right…"

The mysterious Digimon shook her head as she began to speak. "I am like you… A Digimon who took a human host and who acted as one of them," she told LordKnightmon.

"What?" LordKnightmon stared at the Digimon in surprise.

"And therefore, this I now ask you," the Digimon nodded, "Do these people deserve to be purged from existence?"

"Oh really?" the pink Royal Knight frowned as this newcomer was just like Omegamon. "And your conclusion is that you will stand alongside the humans? That is an unfathomable error. Your logic is utter nonsense!" She looked over towards Takumi and his friends in disgust. "Humans!" she spat. "They are filth, polluting the world of the Digimon as they scatter foul data about them. And the woman who became my flesh! And the throngs of people she manipulated! It was all offensive! Foul! Utter foolishness! Even those who preach of peace," she glared at Takumi. The redhead lowered his gaze but let the Digimon continue her rant. "Foolishness and hypocrisy! Humans exist only to be purged! The universe demands their extinction!"

"There are indeed times when humans commit errors," the new Digimon nodded, looking back at Takumi, "make the wrong choices and act foolishly… But the same can be said of us Digimon." Her words made Takumi look up at her, but the Digimon already refocused her gaze on LordKnightmon. "And you see only one aspect of humans and Digimon. Could it be that the other aspects are hidden under the surface where you can't see them?"

"Digimon the same as humans!?" LordKnightmon was appalled by this comparison. "You have been humanized! You're mad! There is one thing I share with humanity… Their superiority complex when crushing helpless foes!" she declared. "That was a particularly sweet emotion in the woman Kishibe's data. It bordered on the bewitching!" the Royal Knight laughed.

"Oh, my," the mysterious Digimon shook her head. "Such words are not up to the noble standards of the Royal Knights."

"Cease your prattle!" LordKnightmon snapped at the insufferable Digimon standing against her. "What would the likes of you possibly know of the Royal Knights?"

"I know nothing," the new Digimon shrugged. "That is why I continue asking these questions."

"In the end you are just like them," LordKnightmon scoffed. "Unenlightened! Have at you, then! I'm ready to take out the trash!"

"So it is a fight you seek after all," the mysterious Digimon sighed. "Very well," she nodded. "It would seem this is the only way." She turned to face the Cyber Sleuth. "Lend me a hand, Takumi?"

"Eh? M-me…?" the boy blinked at her with wide eyes. "C-can I really…?" he frowned to himself. "I m-mean… I-I'm not…" He shook his head as he slowly backed away from the regal knight. "I… have no r-right to…"

"Or… will you simply vanish as she wishes?" the Digimon asked him. "Together with Shiramine Nokia and Kamishiro Yuuko?" She smiled as he paused to consider the consequences of what would happen if he didn't fight.

"I…" Takumi knit his eyebrows together as he clenched his right hand into a fist. The Digimon noticed the familiar flicker of his desire to protect his friends spark in his brilliant blue eyes. "I won't let that happen," he seriously nodded to her.

"Hang on…" Nokia crookedly smirked. "What? What… is this all about? You know who we are? Who… are you!?" she asked the strange Digimon.

"Would it help if you drank my special blend?" the Digimon chuckled.

"Ah…!" Takumi blinked at her as he suddenly realized why the Digimon's presence was so comforting to him. "You're…!"

"Caviar or mayonnaise," the Digimon nodded to him. "Your choice. Or would you prefer both?" she continued to chuckle.

The red-haired boy managed to smile at her as tears began running down his face. "Kyoko-san…!" he cried as he brought his arm up to his eyes.

"What!?" Nokia exclaimed in surprise. "No… No flippin' way! K-k-kyo… Kyoko-san!?"

The Digimon known as Kyoko nodded to the red-haired boy as he pulled himself together. "Now then, my assistant! Take back your Digivice from Shiramine Nokia. It's time to get to work."

"Understood!" he nodded. Takumi turned towards his best friend and she quickly tossed him his goggles. He immediately put them on and called out his Digimon before focusing on his current task. "I'm ready whenever!" he cried out.

"Let's go, Takumi!" his boss nodded.

"So you refuse to accept your punishment!" LordKnightmon roared at the blue-eyed brat. "Spiral Masquerade!"

"God Bless!" Craniummon quickly called for Avalon to defend his master before knocking the attacking Royal Knight back with his Claíomh Solais.

"Atomic Ray!" HiAndromon fired the beam made of both neutron energy and nuclear energy.

"Burst Shot!" SaintGalgomon fired a barrage of bullets at the Royal Knight to keep her busy long enough for Takumi to readjust the settings of his Digivice.

When everything was finally set up, the Cyber Sleuth curiously scanned his boss's data and his eyes widened at the sheer power she contained. "W-whoa… N-no way…"

The Digimon smirked but focused on the battle. She held out her right hand as a green magic circle appeared. "Digitalize of Soul!" Beams of energy shot out from the mystic seal and LordKnightmon winced as she was bombarded by them. As it has been a while since she had last used her powers though, the black knight blinked at her hand. "Hmm… It seems I'm a bit rusty…"

Even so, the attack had still done a number on LordKnightmon. "Ungh! Such… Such power!" the pink Royal Knight gasped. "It can't be? You're one of the Royal Knights!?"

The other Digimon shook her head and chuckled. "I'm just a detective. Nothing more. Okay, it's time to close the books on this one. I'm an investigator, not a fighter. I should have learned some martial arts," she mused. "Takumi, I leave the rest to you."

Takumi hesitantly tensed up. "M-me…?" He lowered his gaze and frowned to himself. "I… I understand…" the boy seriously nodded. "I'll protect my friends, n-no matter what!" he cried out before wincing in pain.

"Wait!" Yuuko called out. "Takumi, please! Let me join in too!"

"Yuuko…" Takumi shook his head at her. "This isn't more revenge for your father, is it?"

"I see," the Digimon known as Kyoko stared at the raven-haired girl. "This is your fight as well," she nodded to Yuuko. "Very well. Strike the final blow with your own hands. You deserve that honor."

"Don't encourage her!" Takumi frowned. "Revenge is not a good reason to fight!"

"Of course it's not!" Yuuko shook her head. "My reason to fight this time is to support you!"

"H-huh?" the boy knit his eyebrows together. "Why would I need…?" he winced as his agitation only made his body hurt more. "Ngh!" he reached a hand towards his burning chest.

Nokia winced at the boy's injuries. "Yeesh, Takumi… You must have been through Hell…"

LordKnightmon chortled at that. "And yet even Hell isn't enough to purge his sins…"

"N-no… it isn't…" Takumi frowned to himself. "I really was the harbinger of darkness…" He clenched his fists. "Because of me… everyone is in danger! I don't need… no… I don't deserve to be protected or saved by anyone…" He clenched his eyes shut. "I have to face my crimes and atone for them myself! I won't let anyone else get hurt because of me!" he shouted.

"That's even more reason for me to fight at your side," Yuuko nodded to him. "We can't just let you go off on your own. It's not up to you to decide whether or not you deserve our help. Even if you don't believe you deserve it, you do definitely need us."

Takumi opened his eyes and looked at her in surprise. "Yuuko…"

"That's right!" Nokia cried. "You're always saving us from trouble, right, Takumi? Now it's our turn to save you! It's not completely your fault all this stuff happened! You're just a victim of circuses."

"Circumstance…" Takumi smiled at his friends. "But yeah… I get it… Thanks, Nokia, Yuuko…" He paused to look up at the Digimon who was his boss. "I'm sorry, Kyoko-san… I must have worried you too…"

The Digimon smiled at him. "Even if you continue to blame yourself, I know you won't run from your responsibilities. I still believe that you can surpass yourself and evolve alongside your friends, whether they be human or Digimon!"

"I understand," Takumi nodded as he turned back towards the raven-haired girl ready to fight. "Alright then, Yuuko. I'm counting on you to watch my back."

"It'll be just like when we were kids," she teasingly smiled, "me always protecting you from Onii-chan and Arata-san."

"I can totally live with that," Takumi chuckled before wincing. "Considering I might not be able to last long on my own…" he groaned. He shook his head and focused his attention back on LordKnightmon. "All right! Prepare yourself! This time you're definitely going down! I'm sorry we couldn't reach a compromise, but… I won't let you hurt my friends and destroy humanity!"

The pink Royal Knight laughed at his pitiful declaration of war. "Trash of your ilk hopes to strike me down? To strike down the dazzling rose of perfection that is an honored Royal Knight?" She made a fist and glared at the cause of all of this misery with intense hatred. "Don't mock me… human… Don't be so conceited. How dare you make light of me!?"

"If humans really are darker than Digimon, you're even worse to willingly turn your back on your light…" Takumi seriously stated. "Even if I'm the harbinger of darkness, I'll show you the light I'm striving for."

"You insolent brat…!" LordKnightmon raised her Pile Bunker in preparation to shut him up. "Urgent Fear!"

Takumi flinched but Yuuko had her Digimon quickly defend him from the Royal Knight's attack. "Gaioumon!"

"Phosphorous Fire Slash!" the Dragon Man swung his sword to deflect the Pile Bunker.

"Everyone, let's go!" Takumi nodded to his team to aid him.

"Claíomh Solais!"

HiAndromon pulled out the metal baton he carried on his back. "Copy Paste!"

"Saint Punch!" SaintGalgomon flew up into the air and dove towards LordKnightmon with his arm outstretched. As his punch landed, a fiery explosion burst out of his fist.

The pink Royal Knight roared as she tried to throw the four Digimon off of her. "Spiral Masquerade!"

Takumi ordered a tactical retreat. "LordKnightmon specializes in close-quarters combat. The farthest her Spiral Masquerade attack can reach is about three meters, so keep your distance!" he advised them.

"So during your time I've kept you isolated, you studied my attack patterns," LordKnightmon scowled at him. "It won't do you any good though!" She pulled out a rose and smelled it. "Sweat, beautiful sweat!" She charged towards Gaioumon and Yuuko's eyes widened as the Digimon's speed had increased.

"Use your Phosphorous Fire Attack!" Her Digimon's swords glowed as he fired a fiery light at the Royal Knight.

LordKnightmon roared as she shot shockwaves through Gaioumon's body. "Urgent Fear!"

"Yuuko, your Gaia Reactor attack!" Takumi suggested.

"Right!" she nodded. "Let's go, Gaioumon!"

"SaintGalgomon! Giant Missile!" Both attacks detonated into a powerful explosion and Takumi didn't allow the field to clear itself of the smoke as he ordered another attack from his super-gigantic Machine Digimon. "Burst Shot!"

When SaintGalogmon finished unloading all of his ammunition, HiAndromon cleared the cloud of dust with his Spiral Sword attack. The Cyborg's eyes widened when LordKnightmon suddenly charged towards him. "Sweat, beautiful sweat!" she laughed as she threw her rose at HiAndromon to distract him. "Spiral Masquerade!"

"HiAndromon!" Takumi cried out as his Digimon collapsed. He wanted to run towards his fallen Digimon but paused as LordKnightmon seemed to be expecting him to rush towards her. He clenched his fists and called out to Craniummon. "Drive her back with your End Waltz!" he ordered.

"Gaioumon! Another Phosphorous Fire Slash!" Yuuko called out.

Takumi willed his body to move and he dug through his bag for a revive capsule. As he began patching up his Digimon, he tensed up as he sensed LordKnightmon rapidly coming towards him.

"Urgent Fear!" LordKnightmon smirked as she pulled her shielded arm back.

"Takumi!" Yuuko cried out in a panic.

The boy quickly dodged to the side and frowned as the Royal Knight's face was right in front of his own. He raised his right arm up and called out one last order. "Xros Combo!"

"Saint Tackle!" The large Cyborg shoved the Royal Knight away from the Cyber Sleuth.

"Copy Paste!"

"Claíomh Solais!"

"Phosphorous Fire Slash!"

Takumi collapsed to the ground and let out a relieved sigh. "Ah… W-we did it…" He winced as his entire body hurt and found that he could no longer get up on his own.

LordKnightmon frowned as she found herself at the feet of the large black knight Digimon. "Why… would a Digimon like you… choose to make an enemy of me?" the pink Royal Knight asked. "Is this the will of Yggdrasil?"

"It is because you believe that that I am with the humans," the Digimon known as Kyoko replied.

Craniummon nodded in agreement. "It cannot truly be the will of our lord to destroy an entire world for the sake of our own. And if it is, then would it not be our responsibility as the Royal Knights to free our lord from madness?"

LordKnightmon let out a broken laugh. "If that is so, then what have we been doing? What exactly are the Royal Knights?"

"Why don't you tell me?" the black knight asked. "What were you and Duftmon planning?"

The defeated Royal Knight chuckled. "It'll feel good to get it all out. Very well. I'll tell you. Duftmon is… He is using the Digital Line from my Paradise Lost Plan to fuel the Digital Wave… He is trying to gain immense power… enough to destroy the human world… and the Eaters… in one fell swoop." Her body glowed as her data began to break down. "Merging with a human… seems to have had only a negative effect on me… What makes you and I so different?" she asked the strange Digimon.

The Digimon known as Kyoko paused for a moment as she considered her answer. After a while she lifted her gaze towards Takumi who was being supported by Nokia as Yuuko checked the extent of his injuries. Craniummon hurried over to his temporary lord to check on him too and the large black knight only watched as Takumi patted the purple Royal Knight's armor for a job well done. She closed her eyes and chuckled to herself before finally responding to the fallen knight. "I wonder…"

LordKnightmon turned her head towards the teens too and frowned as she didn't quite understand. Even worse was the fact that Takumi was staring at her with an expression akin to sympathetic pity and guilt. "LordKnightmon…" he sadly lowered his gaze.

Yuuko also frowned at her as she hesitantly approached the fallen knight. "Farewell, LordKnightmon… No… Rie-san…"

LordKnightmon lowered her gaze as perhaps she understood after all, given the woman Kishibe's strange attachment for Yuuko, caring for the girl while all the time cursing her. "This is it!" she spoke in the woman's sickeningly sweet voice. "Our final, final farewell, it seems. You mustn't cry, even if it's sad!"

"I always hated the stupid way you talked," Yuuko lowered her gaze. "The fakeness of it? The attempts to sound younger? You were ugly and pathetic, in all honesty."

"Oh my, my, my! So unexpected!" LordKnightmon smirked. "And I… how I felt about your adorableness? Or should I say your brazenness? Impertinence? Gloominess? Your lame personality? You make me want to puke! I abhorred you!" she giggled. Finally, she could no longer sustain her form and her body burst into a shower of rose petals.

Yuuko closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Nokia frowned at her in worry. "Yuuko-chi…"

When the raven-haired girl opened her eyes, she shook her head and gave Nokia a reassuring smile. "I'm fine now…" She knit her eyebrows together when she saw Takumi was still staring at the flower petals with a downcast expression on his face. "More importantly…" she walked up to the boy, "are you okay, Takumi?"

The boy didn't dare to look directly at her as he answered. "Not really…"

"I thought so…" Yuuko sadly frowned. "I can only imagine what it is you're feeling right now… You must have been through a lot."

Takumi kept his head down and remained silent, prompting Nokia to look at him in concern. "Hey, Takumi," the turquoise-eyed girl nervously began, "why are you so down? You should be happy your friends came to save you!"

"Friends…?" the boy knit his eyebrows together.

Yuuko quickly noticed the pain hidden in his blue eyes. "That's right," she nodded to him. "We came to rescue you because we're friends!" Takumi's frown deepened, resulting in her giving him a heavy sigh. "No, you're right… Only Nokia-san came to rescue you as your friend. I'm here because I feel responsible for your disappearance. I have no right to call myself your friend."

Nokia's eyes widened in alarm. "Yuuko-chi…!?"

"No, it's true," Yuuko shook her head as she worriedly frowned at Takumi. "I took your kindness for granted and allowed myself to become absorbed by my desire for revenge. LordKnightmon used my feelings to her advantage to lure us into her trap in Akihabara… You really had been right all along, but because I didn't listen to you, I ended up losing your friendship…"

"Hey, that can't be right!" Nokia frowned. She tried shaking the quiet boy she was holding up in order to get him to say something. "Takumi! Tell her you're both still friends!"

Takumi only responded by hanging his head even lower than before as he still refused to look up from the ground. Yuuko knit her eyebrows together as she could no longer see what sort of pained expression he was wearing. "I'm sorry, Takumi, for everything that happened. I shouldn't have said all those nasty things to you, but I did anyways. I said those things while misjudging you for a simpleton who couldn't understand what I was going through, but in fact, it was the other way around. You didn't deserve any of it…" Yuuko gave him a grateful smile. "You have always been a good friend trying to reach out to me in my despair, so thank you. Even if you can never forgive me and no longer consider me your friend, please know that I will always consider you my friend." When she finally finished her apology, she watched him carefully for a while before sighing to herself as he really didn't seem to want to respond to her.

"Ah…" Takumi frowned to himself as he finally spoke up. "How am I supposed to follow up an apology like that with one of my own…?" he asked.

"Eh?" Yuuko blinked at him in surprise. "You want to apologize…?"

"O-of course," the boy seriously nodded before lowering his gaze again. "I… was never upset with you… I told you once before that I'd accept you as my friend, no matter what you say to me."

"You did…" she nodded to him. She put on a small smile and sighed in relief. "It's that same flowery logic I had been hoping to use on you."

"That… actually surprised me…" Takumi admitted to her as he knit his eyebrows together. "I didn't really think anyone would rescue me…"

"Why not!?" Nokia asked. "We couldn't just leave you here!"

"Maybe it'd be more accurate to say I didn't want to be rescued…" Takumi mused.

"Takumi!" his best friend glared at him. "We went through a lot of trouble to find you! And we were super worried too! Heck, you can't even stand on your own right now!" she pointed out as she held him up.

"Y-yeah…" he nodded, "But…" He sadly frowned at the ground. "LordKnightmon was right about me after all… Everything that happened was because of me… It was me who opened the path to the Digital World. And I might have called the Eater, too…" He shook his head. "Yuugo's accident, Arata's Eater corruption, both worlds growing more and more unstable… That's all because of what I did back then…!" The Cyber Sleuth tried to stand without Nokia's help but nearly fell.

Yuuko shook her head at him as she caught him. "I don't believe any of this is your fault at all."

"It's… not?"

"Of course, it's not!" Nokia scolded him as she and Yuuko helped keep him upright. "It's not like you meant for all this to happen!"

"Even so…" Takumi knit his eyebrows together and avoided their gazes, "it _did_ happen… All because I couldn't bear to return to a world where it's possible I'd be left alone…" He clenched his eyes shut as he felt the urge to cry. "I'm no better now than I was back then!"

"Didn't I tell you before that you should be proud of who you are?" the Digimon known as Kyoko finally spoke up.

"Huh?" Takumi lifted his gaze up at the regal black knight.

"You came all this way believing that everyone can surpass their inner darkness and evolve," she reminded him. "Don't tell me you've given up on your own light now that you know the truth."

The detective's assistant lowered his gaze as he thought it over. In the end, he shook his head. "No. You're right," he finally stated. "I'm no longer the same child from back then. I know what I have to do now. And I know… I don't have to do it alone," he smiled at his friends who came to save him. "It's because of everyone I'm connected to that I can be proud of who I am now." He smiled at the two girls holding him up. "Thanks, Nokia, Yuuko," he nodded, "for rescuing me." He looked up at the Digimon standing over them. "And thank you for always believing in me…"

The Digimon gave him a kind smile and nodded, glad her assistant was back to his usual self. "Okay, we'd better report back to the agency. I'm sure there's a lot you want to ask me. And we need to discuss our next move while we work on repairing the damage you sustained."

"Thanks, Kyoko-san," Takumi gratefully smiled at her. "You really are always saving my life…"

"So…" Nokia knit her eyebrows together. "Are… are you really Kyoko-san?"

The Digimon shook her head at the confused girl and chuckled. "If you'd tasted my coffee, you'd know by now, I expect."

"Eh?" Nokia crookedly smirked.

"The Hatcho Miso Cream Cheese Wasabi Blend…" the Digimon mused. "It's not on the market yet, but it'll be a hit. Why don't you sample it for me, Shiramine Nokia? I'm afraid it's a bit too strong for my assistant in his current state."

Nokia let out a panicked scream and dropped Takumi. "M-me!?"

"It really is Kyoko-san, isn't it?" Yuuko smiled as she quickly caught the Cyber Sleuth before he could fall again. "Yes, it must be."

"Yeah…" Takumi chuckled at the Digimon's reassuring presence. He gave his boss a heartfelt smile. "The one and only…"

"Please, Kyoko-san!" Nokia pleaded to the regal black knight. "Take the wasabi out!" she yelled.

"That's what you wanted to ask her, Nokia-san?" Yuuko asked. She shook her head and closed her eyes before letting out a sigh. She opened them again as she sensed the boy she holding up lightly laughing at it all. She smiled at his genuinely happy expression. "Let's go home, Takumi," she told him.

"Let's," he nodded, glad that his friends had come to pull him out of his despair.

* * *

 **Final Notes:** And Takumi is safe! I'm guessing the silent subtitled lines playing in cutscenes belong to Takumi... But those lines had been so out of place in the game that it was weird... At least I made them make sense... Arata and Takumi really are too sensitive, but the way their sensitivity is on opposite spectrums of each other. For Arata, I guess he suffers from survivor's guilt and the fact that he abandoned his best friend. For Takumi, he probably has more of a guilt complex. It's kind of like how Taiki in Xros Wars can't turn his back on people in need, but for Takumi, he's willing to go to extreme measures to see everything work out. The thing about Taiki though is that his weakness wasn't really exploited as much as it could have and his stance never really matured. For Takumi, I hope he grew a little... I mean, saving others is fine and all, but he really needs to stop doing it at the cost of his own safety.


	28. Lion Knight of the Round Table

**Author's Notes:** This story really did go by pretty quickly without all of the nonessential sidequests in the way... I broke the rest of the main story up into just three more chapters so yup. There's more I can go on about regarding certain sets of cases, but I'll wait until tomorrow. First off, Takumi's return and Kyoko's reveal!

* * *

Nokia whined as her tongue was completely numb. "Ack! Thtop it! Thtop it, I thaid!" she cried as Kyoko was once again refilling her empty coffee cup.

"But to think that you were a Digimon…" Yuuko stared at the woman in amazement, "How long has that been the case?"

"Now's as good time as any," Kyoko crossed her arms. "Let me explain about how I've been sharing the memories of Kuremi Kyoko. Eight years ago, when the Digital World first fell prey to the Eaters, after the EDEN beta test… I discerned rather early on that the cause of the problem lay in another world, one in a neighboring dimension to our own. It was a different sort of 'digital world', one created by humans. At the same time, in the human world, a detective named Kuremi Kyoko found out about EDEN Syndrome. She had been hired by Kamishiro Satoru to look into and expose illegal activity within his own company."

Yuuko's eyes widened in surprise. "You… she… worked for my father?"

"Yes," the Digimon in a human's body nodded. "And then she was contacted by a whistle-blower who wanted to meet with her in secret. She agreed and went alone into cyberspace." A frown suddenly appeared on her face as she continued. "However, this was one of Kishibe Rie's traps. She had the burning ambition to hold the real power of Kamishiro and have Kamishiro Satoru accused for any and all illicit dealings by Kuremi Kyoko… Even the evidence was a clever forgery. Donations to politicians, selling user data… It was just the sort of story that the media was going to be all over."

"So she already mastered her tactic of using public perception to her advantage," Takumi said as he shuddered at the woman's fearsome personality.

The detective nodded to him. "But a trap even bigger than Kishibe's was in the works… And so, Kuremi Kyoko was consumed by an Eater! She contracted EDEN Syndrome like Kishibe Rie. But she wasn't convinced it was a trap by Suedou Akemi until she learned he'd been researching the Eaters, which was only just recently."

"Suedou-san used the Eaters to attack Kishibe?" the boy knit his eyebrows together. "Why would he…?"

"He probably went ahead with it out of respect for Kamishiro Satoru," she guessed, "in order to protect him from Kishibe's ambitions."

"Suedou… and my father…" Yuuko frowned as she let it all sink in.

"And at the same time, 'this' version of me…" the woman referred to her Digimon self, "fell prey to the Eaters and entered EDEN through a gap in the wall between the dimensions. But that gap was small. The data mass had to be compressed to the level of a Digimon still in training. In that state, I could not engage in any serious activities. I needed some form of a host vessel. It was then that I found the body of Kuremi Kyoko, who had lost her mental data. I found that by replacing her mental data with my own, I could take over her body. That was how I was able to move about in the real world. However," she looked up towards the teenagers staring at her, "replacing someone else's mental functions naturally comes with major risks."

"What kind of risks?" Takumi gulped.

"Human bodies are complex," she looked into the half-cyber boy's blue eyes. "You have to sync the host and the memories to those of the body. This might have resulted in degeneration for me as a Digimon. Looking back on it, I think I was destined to find this body… that of Kuremi Kyoko. There was a perfect sync between her sense of purpose and my duties, without any rejection. I became Kyoko and Kyoko became me."

"And what about LordKnightmon?" Yuuko hesitantly asked.

"Ah, LordKnightmon fell to this planet as I did and must have synced with Kishibe Rie's body," Kyoko nodded. "From your perspective there must be no difference between LordKnightmon's actions and my own. We both ended up using another's body as a host. Takumi…" she never took her eyes off her dear assistant, "Had your body been available, I would have used it without hesitation. Do you think less of me for that?" she asked him.

Takumi stared at her in silence before a smirk appeared on his face. "It sounds like it'd be convenient!"

Kyoko chuckled at him. "Just the answer I'd expect from you," she nodded as she brought her hand to her chin.

"Well, I say that…" the boy lowered his gaze and frowned, "but in actuality… if you had used me from back then… wouldn't you have fallen to my darkness the same way LordKnightmon fell to Kishibe's?"

"But it was already at that point after the EDEN beta test that you changed, wasn't it?" Kyoko asked him. "From then on, you developed your undying devotion to protect your friends."

"Eh?" Takumi lifted his gaze at that.

"Even once you had been robbed of your memories, you strove to improve yourself, no matter the circumstances that befell you," the woman smiled at him. "It was probably for that reason that you were fated to be my assistant now…" she told him.

The boy knit his eyebrows together and gave her a very small, but extremely grateful smile. "K-kyoko-san…!" He brought his arm up to his face as he began crying. "Th-thank you…!"

"To think that you've been living as a human!" Omegamon exclaimed in amazement as a screen popped up from Nokia's Digivice.

"Oh, yeah!" Nokia blinked at her Digimon. "Even Omegamon didn't catch on. There's no way we could have figured it out."

"It might be selfish to ask you to trust a Digimon you know nothing about, but…" Kyoko looked between the three teens, "I'd like to keep working together, as we have up until now. As one of the gang."

"I think…" Takumi continued to cry, "I must have known this had been the truth for a while now… that you were a Digimon… But even so… I don't mind… because to me… you're still the same Kyoko-san who believes in me and is always saving me… O-of course, I trust you!"

"Takumi…" The woman smiled at her assistant's obvious answer but looked over towards Nokia and Yuuko to see what they thought of it all.

"Kn-knock it off, Kyoko-san!" Nokia frowned at her. "You've got a human body? And you're a Digimon inside? I have no idea what any of that means! And you'd serve up coffee that was like drinking the River Styx with a big smile on your face the whole time! You actually thought that tasted good!? So no, I wasn't totally convinced you were human."

"Hmm… I see," the woman studied Nokia's confused expression. "So what you're saying is that my creations were lacking? Let me redouble my efforts then. Give me a chance to redeem myself!"

The red-haired girl tensed up. "Yikes! You intend to kill us with coffee!? No, that's not it!" she became serious as she looked straight into the detective's eyes. "Kyoko-san has been trying all along to do something about EDEN Syndrome and the Eaters. Don't none of you see that we can't not trust her?"

"N-nokia-san, wait," Yuuko frowned at the girl sitting next to her in confusion, "is that a yes or a no?" She sighed as Takumi continued to cry across from her. "And shouldn't you be pulling yourself together by now?" The boy nodded as he tried to stifle his sniffling. The raven-haired girl shook her head at her two very random friends before looking up at the detective. "Now I want to ask something of you, Kyoko-san. The cause for the appearance of Eaters in the Digital World lies with us. And yet, why are you helping us?"

"I must bring my role to fruition," the woman answered while crossing her arms. "That is all," she smirked. "As for the incident eight years ago, you were all so young. There was nothing you could have done, was there?"

Yuuko closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she had a point.

"But…" Nokia frowned, "It's still all so terrible. Awful things happened to the Digital World and it's all our fault."

Takumi lowered his gaze. "Arata was right… It's a difficult truth to face because we no longer have an excuse to hide behind…"

"Would it have been better not to have remembered?" Kyoko asked them.

"No…" Nokia frowned. "I don't think that!" she grinned. "It's terrible, but… I'm personally glad I remembered!"

"I am, too," Yuuko nodded in agreement. "Even if I could forget the bad things, I wouldn't want to forget what's important."

"That's right!" Nokia stated. "Agumon and Gabumon, Takumi, Yuuko-chi, Yuugo-kun and Arata, too! The friends we had back then. We can't forget them. They're precious memories!"

"Since remembering my brother… and also Arata-san as well…" Yuuko smiled.

"We have to go to them, right?" Nokia asked.

Kyoko chuckled at the girls. "Just the answer I'd expect from you two," she nodded. "And moreover… it's a very human answer. Wouldn't you agree, Takumi?"

The boy tensed up as she looked towards him for his opinion. Takumi closed his eyes to put his thoughts together before suddenly opening them and shaking his head. His answer should have been obvious. "Of course!" the boy nodded in determination, ready to do whatever it takes to correct their past mistakes. "Let's go! Ever onward to the shining future!" he declared. "I'm ready for my next assignment, Kyoko-san!"

Kyoko nodded as she began scanning the city's Digital Waves. "The first thing we have to do is to put a stop to Duftmon's plans," she stated.

"Right!" Takumi nodded along with his two friends. The teens quickly gathered around the detective's desk as they began planning for their next operation.

"Duftmon will reuse the Digital Line that was used in the Paradise Lost Plan," she crossed her arms. "He is going to fuel it with a massive Digital Wave. Should Duftmon acquire enough energy to make a large enough hole in the Dimensional Wall… he will evolve into a Digimon with power that far outstrips even that of Examon."

Yuuko frowned at that thought. "If that happens, it'll be checkmate for us."

"Yeah…" Takumi narrowed his eyes.

"Mmmf…" Nokia crossed her arms. "So, no way to continue after that? Well, we better get up in his business!" she smirked.

"Hmm," Kyoko nodded. "That's where I thought we could put a new spin on the Rescue of Kamishiro Yuuko Plan and put that into action. Last time, we only stopped the Digital Wave flow," she reminded the teens. "To better control Duftmon, we need to steal the energy he's already absorbed and weaken him."

"Is… is that even possible?" Yuuko asked.

"We'll make it possible," Kyoko smirked, "By making use of the skills of the hackers and," she nodded to Nokia, "also the Tamers."

Both girls gasped in surprise. Takumi only grinned at that though. "What exactly do you have in mind for us, Kyoko-san?" he asked.

"Here's the general idea…" Kyoko began relaying instructions to them, "We set up hacking at each EDEN Spot and change the structure of the Digital Line… so that it doesn't emit Digital Waves anymore but rather absorbs them."

"So then," Yuuko brought a hand up to her mouth, "when Duftmon connects to the Digital Line to collect energy, Duftmon will instead have his energy drained away." She closed her eyes and chuckled. "The biggest trolling strategy ever!"

"The perfect plan for Yuuko the Blackhearted!" Nokia grinned.

Yuuko blinked at her. "Eh? Black…hearted…?" she glared at Takumi who was snickering at Nokia's side.

"Perfect, indeed," the boy laughed.

"So yeah," Nokia crossed her arms and smiled at their friend, "say hi to Rebellions for me, Yuuko-chi!"

"No," Kyoko shook her head and seriously looked at the leader of Rebellions, "this role is for you to play, Shiramine Nokia!"

"Yeah!" Nokia nodded. "Good luck, Nokia… huh?" She let it sink in for a moment before tensing up. "Say what!? Me…!?"

"I think Nokia-san is perfect for the job too," Yuuko smiled at her. "The Rebellions is a unique organization that only Nokia-san can lead. Plus, I can't go back to being Yuugo. No," she frowned to herself, "I don't want to go back to being behind him." She smiled up at Takumi as he was the one who taught her that.

"Uhh… B-but…" Nokia knit her eyebrows together. "But what about hackers like Zaxon and Jude? I don't see a way I could bring them all together! No, it's impossible!" she exclaimed. "If you need a must-win plan, then I'm not…"

"That's not like you, Nokia," Omegamon frowned at her. "What have you always said at times like this? Everything will work out!"

"Omegamon…" Nokia stared at her partner.

"I believe you can do it too, Nokia!" Omegamon nodded to her.

"Yow… What is this!?" Nokia crookedly smirked. "Suddenly I'm feeling all like I CAN do it!" She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. "Oh yeah," her eyes snapped open. "Yeah, that's right! I did always say that. But, Omegamon, this time is a little different!" she told her Digimon.

"Huh?" Omegamon stared at her in confusion.

"It's not that everything will work out… I…" Nokia put on a determined expression. "I'll. MAKE. It. Work. Out!" she yelled. "Kyoko-san! Yuuko-chi! Takumi!" she nodded to them. "I get it. It's all good! I'll make it work somehow! Leave it to me!"

Kyoko chuckled at the girl's newfound drive. "Okay, I'm leaving it to you… Takumi, Yuuko, and I will hit Duftmon," she smirked. "His fortress is the New Metropolitan Building in Roppongi," she told the other two teens with a stern nod.

"Okay, okay, so when we're ready," Nokia grinned, "we'll meet you at the New Metropolitan Building." She raised her arm into the air and let out a determined shout. "Rebellions, to me!" she cried before taking off.

"We're just about the tipping point," Kyoko stated, "The showdown with Duftmon."

Takumi closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. "I'm charged up and ready to go," he said as he opened his eyes. "Let's do this!"

* * *

Takumi stared at the distorted building with wide eyes. His breathing hitched as the massive shift in the Digital Waves was unlike anything he had ever experienced before. Yuuko frowned at him in concern. "Are you sure you can handle this?"

"No," the Cyber Sleuth shook his head, "but we have to press on. Right, Kyoko-san?"

The regal knight Digimon nodded as they stared at the building's entrance. "Fighting between the humans and powerful Digimon has already broken out in the area around the Metropolitan Building," she noticed. "Magnamon and UlforceV-dramon are preventing the battle from expanding… It's only a matter of time before the scale increases. And there is a powerful force field near the top level of the Metropolitan Building," she said as she looked up. "Duftmon may be there." Takumi and Yuuko shared a nod before they all started for the massive labyrinth.

* * *

Halfway up the building, Dynasmon quickly barred their way to the elevators and frowned at the black-armored Digimon standing with the two humans attempting to foil Duftmon's plans. "You are the Ultimate Digimon working with Omegamon to aid the humans? Enemy though you may be, I applaud your ability to have defeated LordKnightmon."

"I merely lent my strength to the others," the Digimon known as Kyoko stated.

"But without your or Craniummon's powers, LordKnightmon would not have been beaten," Dynasmon pointed out. "No… That is not certain. Can one who has lost his just cause still attain victory?"

"If you wish it, I would happily resolve this without violence."

"That is not possible," the white Royal Knight shook his head. "We are already far beyond that now."

"Don't you think that the utter destruction of the 'real' world is a mistaken course of action?"

"Needless to say… Even I may look evil in your eyes, I have but one path to follow, one path to believe in!" Dynasmon prepared himself for battle. "Come, my comrades! And you humans! Which path is correct? Let a test of strength decide for us!"

"Very well," the black knight sighed before looking at the two hackers accompanying her. "It seems we have no choice but to fight. Are you both ready?"

Yuuko nodded as she quickly ordered Gaioumon to attack. "Use your Phosphorous Fire Attack!"

Takumi knit his eyebrows together and sent his team forward. "We won't lose!" he cried out as MetalGarurumon (Black) and Darkdramon sped towards the white Royal Knight. Behind him, Mugendramon began charging his cannons. "Attack!"

"Gigastick Lance!"

"Metal Fang!" MetalGarurumon (Black) howled as he bit down on Dynasmon's arm.

The draconic warrior let out a roar as his hands glowed with energy. "Dragon's Roar!" he fired a powerful shot from his palms in the hopes of casting the metal wolf aside. He left a clear opening though which Yuuko used to her advantage.

"Gaioumon! Phosphorous Fire Slash!"

The Digimon clad in samurai armor roared as he swung his swords at Dynasmon. The Digimon known as Kyoko quickly called for her glowing white sword too. "Holy Sword Gradalpha!" she charged at Dynasmon.

"Everyone, get down!" Takumi cried as Mugendramon's eyes lit up.

"Mugen Cannon!" the metal dragon roared.

Dynasmon tried to counter the blast by channeling all of the energy in his body to produce a gigantic wyvern. "Breath of Wyvern!" All of his opponents were pushed back, but the white Royal Knight winced as the side effects of his attack drained him of his strength.

MetalGarurumon (Black) howled as he launched a missile from a port on his stomach. "Garuru Tomahawk!"

Gaioumon rushed in behind the black metal wolf and crossed his blades together. "Phosphorous Fire Attack!"

"Digitalize of Soul!" The black knight supporting them quickly fired supplemental shots to further weaken Dynasmon. She soon summoned her blade again and rushed forward. "Holy Sword Gradalpha!" Dynasmon let out a pained cry but he still didn't fall so the mantle-wearing knight called out to her assistant and have him end the battle. "Takumi!"

The Cyber Sleuth had his team surround Dynasmon and raised his arm. "Xros—"

Dynasmon roared as he refused to be taken out in such a manner. The draconic Royal Knight began to concentrate the last of his power into one more attack, even if it would cost him his own life. "Dragon Collider!" His energy took on the form of phantom dragons before converging around the Cyber Sleuth and his team.

"Digitalize of Soul!" the black-armored knight quickly intercepted the attack by summoning a wide magic circle to act as a barrier.

Yuuko flinched from the searing heat but worriedly looked towards her two comrades. She let out a relieved sigh to know both the detective and her assistant were safe, but she frowned at the defeated Royal Knight's glowing body. "He… ended up destroying himself…" she muttered before standing at Takumi's side. Looking over at her friend, she noticed the red-haired boy was sympathetically frowning at the laughing Royal Knight.

"This, this is good…" the fierce Digimon chuckled to himself. "To martyr myself for my path… An honorable end!" he nodded. "I reached the end without wavering in my faith! My life will conclude in annihilation! The Way of the Knight is in death and discovery!" he laughed before his body completely disintegrated into data.

The Digimon known as Kyoko took in a deep breath and sighed. "Was his laugh a bit silly to you?" she asked both frowning teens.

"Not really," Takumi seriously replied. "He lived the way he wanted to, without doubting neither himself nor his lord. Even if it cost him his life, it was his choice in the end. He accepted his fate without question. Whether he was in the right or not is a different matter altogether. Right, Kyoko-san?"

She nodded to him. "It's all down to the will of Yggdrasil," she stated. "Both sides determine the course of events now. The Royal Knights and a single program… No matter how powerful you may be, you cannot run from destiny."

"I know," the boy muttered as he lowered his gaze. "That's why we need to face the future with everything we've got."

"Of course," Yuuko nodded. "No matter who we face, we can't afford to hesitate."

"Y-yeah…" the Cyber Sleuth hesitantly nodded as he clenched his fists. Although it was faint, he could sense an Eater's signal somewhere higher up in the building. _Even if I hate to do this… I have to…_ "I can't allow my resolve to falter…" _Especially against you… Arata…_

* * *

Takumi looked up towards the helicopter pad and paused when he spotted Arata standing before Duftmon. The Royal Knight was kneeling as electricity sparked around him and Arata was only watching. Takumi closed his eyes and took a deep breath before climbing up to face his friend. "Arata…"

"Oh! You came…" the older boy turned to face the red-haired teen. He raised an eyebrow at Yuuko and the large black Digimon behind Takumi but shrugged. "He's still 'recharging'," he told them, pointing to Duftmon behind him. "I'm thinking I'll eat him once he's charged. No, that's not it," he frowned as he focused his attention on the blue-eyed boy staring at him with such a serious expression on his usually cheery face. "The truth is… I was waiting for you, Takumi."

"Yeah, I know," Takumi nodded. "It's just like you to wait for me, Arata," he gave the older boy a wry smile. "I'm glad you did… It's time we both faced our one regret, right?"

Arata knit his eyebrows together as he realized the younger boy regained his memories too. "Do you remember?" he asked, hanging his head. "Way back when? It's okay to laugh. I was such a dork. I said I would protect you all. But actually, I was just scared." The raven-haired hacker began to tremble. "I was scared and I… I left him behind."

Yuuko frowned at her brother's best friend. "Arata-san!"

"Come on, Arata…" Takumi sadly lowered his gaze. "It wasn't like I was any better…"

"You tried to help Yuugo back then though, didn't you?" Arata lifted his head up to study the Cyber Sleuth. He smiled at how much Takumi was able to change. He had grown so much from the meek boy he used to be. "Thanks… on behalf of my best friend. But I'm sorry…" he shook his head. "That was supposed to be my job. And it's one I'm finally ready to do. That's why I've been eating, eating, and eating…" He grabbed his right arm. "I've gained so much power. And so…" He walked towards Takumi and called forth a strange glowing door with his Eater arm. As he passed through it, his entire body changed and what once was Arata was now a strange humanoid Eater creature.

Yuuko's eyes widened at the ghastly sight. "Huh!?" She was about to call Gaioumon out, but Takumi quickly held his arm out in front of her.

"Yuuko…" the boy spoke in a serious tone as he never took his eyes off Arata's new form. "Please leave Arata to me…"

"Takumi…?" she stared at the redhead in surprise as he didn't hesitate in calling out his team.

"Darkdramon, Mugendramon, and…" he looked towards the dark lance-wielding knight at his side, "ChaosDukemon…" The soft-hearted teen knit his eyebrows together as he remembered how he failed to prevent both Dukemon's demise and his friend's descent. "Arata…" He clenched his fists before narrowing his eyes on the monstrous being before him. "This time for sure…" he brought his gloved hand to his heart, "I'll definitely reach you!"

The being that used to be his friend shook his head at the redhead. "Don't interfere," he begged of Takumi. "Get out of my way. Forget my past. And let me do it all over again. Just don't look at my… hideous form. I'm asking you as my friend! And… so…" He focused his attention on the Cyber Sleuth's powerful Digimon. "GIVE ME YOUR POWER."

"Arata!" Takumi called out to the older boy as he sent his team forward without reserve.

Despite Takumi's request, Yuuko also wanted to join the battle, but the Digimon detective at her side stopped her. The girl looked up at the regal knight in confusion. "Kyoko-san…?"

The Digimon shook her head as she focused her attention on her assistant. "This is a battle Takumi needs to fight on his own. He needs to reach Arata with his own strength and perhaps then, the two of them will be able to overcome their past. It wouldn't help either of them for us to interfere."

The former Zaxon leader worriedly watched as the Cyber Sleuth dodged the tentacle spikes shooting up from the ground towards him. Takumi had on a look of determination neither Yuuko nor the Digimon known as Kyoko had ever seen before. He truly was prepared to use every ounce of his power to save Arata. His blue eyes glowed as he seemed to want to cry, but Takumi let out a roar before trying to reach out to his friend again. "Arata!"

"Cluster of Tyrant!" the monstrous teen roared as he tried to devour his prey.

Takumi dodged another tentacle as he scanned his friend's data. "Eater Adam…" he blinked as he noticed that the creature resembled Eater Eve in some ways. "I see…" He knit his eyebrows together before calling out a string of orders to his team. "ChaosDukemon! Charge up your Chaos Shot!" The knight's shield began to glow as he began gathering energy into his Gorgon. "Darkdramon! Mugendramon! Don't let up your attacks!"

The Digimon of the D-Brigade quickly charged up a dense ball of dark matter. "Dark Roar!"

"Catastrophe D!" the mechanical dragon roared as he launched his destructive warheads from every port on his body. As the missiles exploded, Mugendramon charged forward with his right arm pulled back. "Mugen Hand!" he tried to crush Arata with his arm.

The tall Eater charged up his free hand with a sphere of dark energy before slamming it into the Virus Digimon's arm. "Interrupt Handler!"

Darkdramon tried to help but Mugendramon was knocked back into him. Both Digimon tried to shake it off and prepared to charge their opponent again but their fatigue got the better of them. Takumi frowned as he called for them to retreat. Looking towards ChaosDukemon, he saw that the dark knight was done charging his attack. "Alright! Go for it, ChaosDukemon!"

"Chaos Shot!" All of the energy gathered into Gorgon was immediately channeled into Balmung and the Dark Knight Digimon fired it at Eater Adam, knocking him back.

The once-human monster refused to fall though as he began charging his power. "Power Lust!" He grunted as his body ate up parts of him but he jammed his right arm into the ground to attack. "Cluster of Tyrant!"

Takumi winced when one tentacle spike scratched his left arm as he dodged backwards, but he didn't really worry about himself as he noticed Mugendramon was caught in the web of spikes. The Cyber Sleuth quickly loaded him back into his Digivice and decided to call for a Digimon with aerial capabilities. "Rosemon! Let's go! Darkdramon, ChaosDukemon! Cover her!"

Both Virus Digimon obeyed as they circled Eater Adam and stalled for time for Rosemon to emerge. "Terrible Gaze!" The eyes on Darkdramon's right gauntlet lit up as it emitted a strange beam, numbing Eater Adam.

"Spiral Wailer!" Lightning spiraled around Balmung and ChaosDukemon stabbed their opponent with it.

With a roar, Eater Adam shook off the shock of the attack and charged up a ball of dark energy again. "Interrupt Handler!" He missed but didn't really mind as he began powering up again. "Power Impulse!" He let out a painful cry as his body consumed even more of itself, but he still continued fighting anyways. "Cluster of Tyrant!"

"Rosemon!" Takumi called out the Data Digimon to counter it.

"Rose Velvet!" The ground erupted into a bed of thorns and tentacle spikes resulting in both sides taking damage.

Infuriated by how long it was taking to defeat the soft-hearted boy, Eater Adam let out a sharp yell as he charged up his remaining energy. "Power Runaway!" The power-hungry humanoid raised his arm up. "Cluster of—"

"ARATA!" Takumi yelled as his Digimon preempted their opponent.

"Ivy Hug!" Rosemon stabbed a vine into the ground, resulting in more vines to erupt and bind Eater Adam.

Darkdramon pointed his gauntlet towards the unnatural figure and further restrained him with a numbing beam. "Terrible Gaze!"

"GO!" the Cyber Sleuth roared, now that the monstrous being was completely still. "CHAOSDUKEMON!"

ChaosDukemon prepared his lance and charged forward with all of his might. "Duke Charge!"

Takumi didn't flinch as Eater Adam was run through by his Digimon. He only watched as their foe remained still for a moment before the creature dropped to his knees in defeat. The Cyber Sleuth wordlessly called his team back and walked up to his downed friend. "Arata…" Takumi frowned as he couldn't bear to see his friend like this.

"I WILL…" Eater Adam struggled to raise his hand towards Takumi to eat him. "I WILL…"

"Takumi…" Yuuko frowned as she also found Arata's state painful to watch. "Help him!" she pleaded with the redhead. "You helped me, didn't you!?" She looked over towards Eater Adam and shook her head. "Arata-san, at this rate, you're going to…!"

Takumi stared at the creature trying to reach out to him. "A…rata…" He wanted to do the same but for some reason his arm wouldn't move.

"Why are you hesitating?" the Digimon known as Kyoko asked him. "Are you uncertain? Whether you can do it alone? Whether he'll even hear you?" Takumi frowned as she always seemed to know exactly what it was that bothered him. "Don't underestimate yourself…" she told her assistant, "or him."

Takumi's blue eyes widened as he turned to her in surprise. "E-even now… you still believe… I can do it…?"

"He'll hear you," she nodded to him. "How do I know? You two are friends, right?"

Takumi looked away from the Digimon before noticing Yuuko staring expectantly at him. The boy noticed she seemed to believe in him too and he quickly turned to face Arata. "Of course we're friends," he reminded himself. Takumi raised his right arm and winced as the air became thick with Digital Waves. He let out a pained cry out as he Connect Jumped straight into Eater Adam. "Arata…!"

The Cyber Sleuth found himself in the strange black and white network again. Much like before, his entire body felt as though it were being roughly sanded. He ignored it though as he dove straight for Arata.

"What did you come here for?" his friend asked him with a frown. "Did you need another look at my pathetic self?"

"You're not pathetic, Arata," Takumi frowned back.

"You're incredible, you know," the older boy enviously studied his childhood friend, "Always able to do the right thing straight away."

"It's something I learned from you and Yuugo," Takumi wryly smiled. "You were the one to tell me to stand up for myself, right? The two of you were always so cool and brave…" He looked down at himself. "I wanted to be exactly like that too…"

"But I'm not like that," Arata pointed out. "I can't do anything. I'm always just worried about how it'll look. And it ends again without me being able to help a friend," he lowered his gaze. "How pathetic is that?" he asked in a broken tone.

"You're not pathetic!" Takumi repeated himself as he continued further into the network.

"I'm such an idiot," the older boy derisively chuckled. "I kept telling myself that since this world was digital, Yuugo would be safe, since none of it was real. But that's not the case. And I knew it better than anyone, since I watched the whole thing happen." He hid his frown behind the collar of his jacket. "Curse Suedou for having made us forget something that important." He closed his eyes. "And look at me, putting the blame on someone else. I'm a disgrace," he continued to chuckle. "Whatever the case, I shouldn't have forgotten. I was the one who decided to run and leave Yuugo behind."

"Arata!" Takumi tried to reach out for him, but the older boy knocked his arm aside.

"Shut up! Don't worry about me!" he snapped. "I don't need your sermons," he stated, "or your pity, either! What else could I have done? Was there some other way!?" He clenched his fists together and glared at his weak self. "There's no way a kid like me could rival the genius of Suedou! I can barely even compare to you! I wanted more power, even after dogging him!" Arata closed his eyes and shouted at the top of his lungs. "What else could I have done to save Yuugo!?"

"Arata…" the Cyber Sleuth lowered his gaze as he couldn't answer the older boy.

"I'm so pathetic," the raven-haired hacker stated once again. "How could I face you all…? I can't go back…"

"I keep telling you! You're not pathetic!" Takumi cried out as he went straight into the deepest part of the network. "And I'm definitely bringing you back, whether you want me to or not!"

"You don't give up easily!" Arata stated in annoyance as the redhead kept coming after him. He kept his back turned towards Takumi as he refused to leave. "Don't worry about me!" He scowled when he felt Takumi still advancing towards him anyway so turned around to tell him off. His dark blue eyes widened though as he saw the younger boy jump into the air with his fist pulled back.

"Arata!" Takumi roared as he punched his friend's face with as much force as he could. "You dumbass!"

The taller teen staggered a bit before getting up. When he looked around him though, he realized he was back on the roof of the Metropolitan Building. "You!?" he glared at the boy heavily panting before him. "Why did you bring me back!? I should've stayed the way I was!"

"Are you asking for another beating?" Takumi's blue eyes flashed. "You dumbass!"

"You idiot!" Arata snapped back before punching the younger boy.

Takumi quickly recovered before throwing another punch at Arata. "Better an idiot than a dumbass, you dumbass!"

Yuuko watched as the two boy exchanged blows without restraint. She sighed before turning around to face the Digimon behind her. "Kyoko-san…"

The regal knight shook her head as she shared the girl's sentiments. "Give it a rest!" she finally called out to Takumi.

"Not yet!" Takumi grunted as Arata managed to catch him in the jaw. The shorter boy roared as he tackled into the raven-haired hacker and punched him in the stomach. "Arata! You dumbass! If it's your fault we left Yuugo behind, it's my fault Yuugo was in danger in the first place, right!?"

Arata shoved Takumi off of him and punched him once more. The older boy panted as he watched the younger boy reel backwards. "Dammit!" Arata yelled out in frustration when Takumi continued coming at him.

"You… dumbass…!" Takumi gasped as he swung his fist at the older boy but missed.

"You have no right!" Arata scolded him as the younger teen finally wore himself out. "What was that!? I don't GET you!" As they both caught their breaths, he waited for Takumi to explain himself but the redhead only glared at him as though his reason was obvious. Takumi's attitude only infuriated the older boy even more. "Come on, say something!" he yelled, grabbing the younger boy by his shirt.

The redhead closed his eyes and finally managed to relax his breathing. After a while, he looked up at his friend with a small smile on his face. "Welcome home, Arata…"

"H-huh…!?" Arata stared at him in disbelief but let him go.

Takumi began to chuckle but winced as his body suddenly flickered into static. He let out a painful cry as everything hurt and it wasn't just because he had a fistfight with the older boy. "Ngah!"

"Takumi!?" Yuuko worriedly ran up to him.

"Y-you…" Arata's eyes widened in worry. "That's…"

Takumi tried to reign in his destabilizing data and soon his body was back to normal. He let out an uneasy chuckle before it grew into his usual easy-going laugh. "No worries!" he cheerfully smirked. "I'm fine!"

"Th-there's nothing wrong…?" Arata frowned at him. "But your body is…"

Yuuko knit her eyebrows together but paused when she spotted something strange. "Ah, look out!" she warned both boys.

Takumi winced as the electrical barrier around Duftmon intensified. "Arata!" He quickly grabbed his friend's arm and pulled him back to safety.

"Were we too late!?" Yuuko asked.

"No…" the knight behind her replied as she sensed a powerful Digimon coming towards them.

"Hey!" an optimistic voice called out from behind them. "Sorry I'm late! It's Akkino, everyone's favorite star!" Everybody turned to face the leader of Rebellions and Omegamon. "Could it be I might be running a teeny bit late? I really messed up!" Nokia grinned at them.

"Hurry, Nokia!" Omegamon told her.

"Roger that, Omegamooooon!" she cheered before bringing her phone up to her ear. "Okay, folks! Are you ready!?"

"Yeah!" a Tamer called out to her.

"All set!" another boy stated.

"Ready when you are!"

Nokia chuckled at her hacking team's responses. "Okay… Let's go!"

Takumi smirked as he sensed the Digital Waves beginning to reverse. "All right, Nokia!"

Duftmon groaned at the sudden reversal in the flow of energy. He let out a painful cry as his power drained out of him.

"Yay! Major success!" Nokia cheered. "Keep going! Suck out the energy until he's dry!"

"You did it, Nokia-san!" Yuuko praised her.

"Yeah! I did it, Yuuko-chi!" Nokia smiled at her. "Can I have a present? I want a present!"

Yuuko chuckled at her randomness. "But you could have contacted us for orders," she pointed out. "There wasn't any need to come here, was there?"

"Huh?" Nokia blinked at her.

"If you had contacted us when you were ready, we could have timed this better," Yuuko broke it down for the oblivious girl.

"Huh? But at the strategy meeting…" Nokia blinked. "Hey, Omegamon?" she looked up to her Digimon for some backup. The Royal Knight averted his gaze from her and hung his head from embarrassment. "Huh? What gives with the silent treatment?" Nokia asked him with a nervous smile. "Hey, Takumi?" she turned to the Cyber Sleuth. "Didn't you ask us to come at the strategy meeting?"

Takumi stared at her in silence before finally reminding her of what really happened. "Actually, you kinda volunteered. You yelled it out and then darted off like a hare." He crossed his arms and let out a bright chuckle. "It's just another day on the Nokia Express…"

"Oh, my… I see…" Nokia knit her eyebrows together in confusion. "Is that how things went? Or was it like this? Or like these? Like which?" she further confused herself.

"Yeah… All aboard the Nokia Express!" Takumi began mimicking a train, prompting Yuuko to sigh at their stupidity.

"Nokia," Omegamon nodded to his tamer, "let's apologize."

"Yeah, I'm sorry," Nokia nodded to them with a bright smirk on her face, "For having darted off like that…" she nervously chuckled.

Arata stared at the three younger teens as he hid his frown behind his jacket's collar. He closed his eyes as a snicker managed to sneak its way past his lips. Nokia turned to face him as he tried to hold in his laughter. "I knew it," the older boy ended up letting it all out. "You are all idiots. Or jerks! How can you all talk like that at a time like this?" He shook his head as he began tearing up. "It's no good… I can't…" he completely gave into his laughing fit. He wrapped his arms around his abdomen. "Oh, my stomach hurts!"

"It's not that funny, is it, Arata?" Takumi asked him with a crooked smile on his face. "This is just how we always are…"

Yuuko frowned at the older boy. "Um, Arata-san?"

"He's broken…" Nokia stated.

"Shut up!" the older boy snapped at them. "All of this is your fault!" He sighed before calming himself down. "I think I blew a gasket." He smiled at his friends before slipping his hands into his pockets. "That's right… If I had just… trusted you jerks… all along from the start…!"

"But at least you're back," Takumi smiled at him.

"Yeah…" Arata's expression softened as he studied the boy's kind smile. "You also went through a lot… Sorry, Takumi."

"Don't worry about it," Takumi shook his head. "What's important is that we move past all of that. We still have important things to do after all." He looked up towards Duftmon as a serious expression washed over his face. "It's time we ended things…"

Duftmon let out a cry and dispelled his barrier before he could be completely depleted of energy. "Urk! What is this!? I'm… losing my… power!?" He stared down at his body in frustration. "How did the likes of humans ruins LordKnightmon's—no, my plan! How is this possible!?"

"Duftmon…" the detective Digimon approached the remaining opposing Royal Knight with her assistant at her side. "Your scheme has been foiled."

"You…" Duftmon studied the black knight. "What are you?"

"My name is Alphamon," she declared.

"Alphamon!?" Duftmon's eyes widened.

"Wh-what!?" Omegamon stared at Alphamon in surprise. "The Legendary 13th Royal Knight! You actually do exist!"

"Legendary!?" Takumi blinked a few times before the two Royal Knights in his Digivice began speaking up.

"So my master's stories were true after all!" Jesmon exclaimed. "Alphamon… the missing leader of the Royal Knights!"

"Yes…" Craniummon nodded. "The Aloof Hermit who shoulders the burden of Yggdrasil alone…"

"Aloof Hermit…?" Takumi frowned at such a title as it didn't seem to fit her image. "But…" he shook his head and tried to make sense of it all.

"Even I'm surprised by the turn of events," the purple knight mused. "To think you've been directly working under Alphamon all this time…"

"It's no wonder you were able to help me become a Royal Knight, Takumi!" Jesmon stated in awe.

"Alphamon… the Aloof Hermit…" the Cyber Sleuth tried to let it sink in as he continued to stare at his boss in surprise. "Leader of the Royal Knights…"

The regal black knight shook her head at her assistant. "Don't think about it too deeply," she told him, prompting the boy to nod in understanding. "Although, I have to admit," she chuckled, "this _is_ the first time I've ever publicly revealed myself to the other Royal Knights."

"Why show yourself now?" Duftmon asked her. "And as my enemy!?"

"I exist to control the Royal Knights," Alphamon simply stated. "My purpose is to keep them from running amok."

"Amok, you say!?" Duftmon sneered at her. "It is the will of Yggdrasil to destroy the human world and protect the Digital World!"

"Indeed, but I was also sent here by Yggdrasil's will," she told him.

"Don't be absurd," the lion knight scoffed. "There's no way the will of Yggdrasil would ever block my path! If you are his chosen, then make the right choice! To save our world, mankind must be destroyed! Humanity's immature and foolish misdeeds are what caused the Eater menace to bring our world to the brink!" He cast his cold gaze onto the red-haired boy standing at her side. "Look at them. Their foolishness will lead them to their own destruction as well!"

"That is not for you to say!" Omegamon cried.

Alphamon nodded in agreement. "Foolishness is but one part of humanity. I have also seen their capacity for growth," she said, looking at her assistant fondly. "Let us therefore trust them."

"Alphamon…" Takumi gratefully smiled at her.

"Duftmon…" Craniummon shook his head and frowned at his former comrade. "You of all people should understand that standing against Alphamon is to stand against our lord Yggdrasil himself."

"Enough of this pointless banter!" Duftmon declared, refusing to acknowledge such a stance. "If both of us claim the will of Yggdrasil, then our conflict is also the will of Yggdrasil! In other words… the winner represents Yggdrasil's true will!"

"You fool…" Alphamon sighed.

"You are the fool," Duftmon glared at her, "for making the wrong choice! How sad that I must meet my final comrade-in-arms only to bid you a final farewell at the same time!" He looked down at the human at her side. "You dared to steal some of my power! Mock me not! I am Duftmon!" he cried, "The most powerful of the knights!" He raised his sword and let a roar as he prepared for battle.

Alphamon looked down at her assistant. "Are you ready, my dear Watson?" she asked him.

"Of course!" Takumi cried out as he brought a hand up to his Digivice.

"Let's go," the thirteenth Royal Knight stood at his side. "It's time to get to work."

"Understood!" Takumi nodded with a smirk.

"Tch," Arata grabbed his side and winced. "If I had known you'd managed to get over your soft-heartedness, I would have brought Infermon with me for backup…"

"You should leave this to us, Arata," the younger boy worriedly frowned.

"Yeah, I've got it," the raven-haired hacker reluctantly growled. "I'm in no condition to fight anyway…"

"Nokia!" the Cyber Sleuth called out to her. "I'm counting on you and Omegamon to watch Arata!"

"Just leave babysitting Geeta to me!" Nokia grinned.

"You're as annoying as always," the older boy grumbled.

"Arata really is back," Takumi lightly chuckled to himself before looking towards the other girl at his side. "Yuuko, will you lend me a hand this time?"

"I was getting restless watching you earlier, so of course!" the raven-haired girl nodded as she sent Gaioumon forward. "Let's go! Use your Phosphorous Fire Attack!"

Takumi quickly rotated ChaosDukemon and Rosemon out for a fresh pair of Virus Digimon. He nodded to his third Digimon to keep Duftmon busy while BlackWarGreymon and MetalGarurumon (Black) loaded. "Go, Darkdramon!"

"Demon Stab!" Darkdramon struck at Duftmon with his Gigastick Lance.

Duftmon quickly brought his sword up to counter him and he lifted his gaze when he noticed Alphamon also charging towards him her blade out. "Holy Sword Gradalpha!"

On the lion knight's other side, Gaioumon crossed his Kikurin swords together. "Phosphorous Fire Slash!"

Duftmon pushed Darkdramon away from him and leapt back before swinging his sword in an arc. "Aussterben!" A wave of energy shot out from the arc he cut out, throwing his opponents back. He could have followed it up with another attack, but instead, he positioned himself in a strange fencing stance.

Gaioumon was the first to recover so charged the Royal Knight again. He swung his right sword at Duftmon but the lion knight swiftly countered it with his rapier. The samurai-like Dragon Man winced as Duftmon slashed at his armor and quickly retreated before Alphamon clashed her sword against the Royal Knight.

Duftmon growled as the tip of his sword began to glow. "Ernste Welle!" he cried as his weapon fired explosive energy at the Aloof Hermit.

Alphamon was prepared with a counter though as she brought her right arm up. "Digitalize of Soul!" Her green beams of energy cancelled Duftmon's shots. The black Royal Knight brought her sword up again and slashed at the lion knight.

Duftmon let out a pained cry but tightened his grip on his sword. He was about to attack again but he sensed a Digimon speeding at him from above. "Dramon Buster!" BlackWarGreymon crashed into the ground where Duftmon once stood. The Jet-black Dragon Warrior quickly pulled his Dramon Killers free from the roof and began swiping his claws at the Royal Knight.

Duftmon frowned as he sensed another Digimon behind him. "Metal Fang!" MetalGarurumon (Black) lunged forward and tried to bite the Lion Knight. Duftmon managed to dodge the side but frowned as he was met with another enemy.

"Phosphorous Fire Slash!" Gaioumon cut off his means of escape.

Darkdramon quickly boxed him in as he pointed his Gigastick Lance at Duftmon. "Terrible Gaze!"

Duftmon cried out as his body became numb. He willed his body to move and managed to swing his sword in a wide circle. "Aussterben!" The four Virus Digimon blocked the attack as they skidded back away from the Royal Knight. Duftmon frowned though as he searched around for Alphamon. His eyes widened as he spotted a fluttering blue mantle in the air. He lifted his gaze to see the legendary Royal Knight point her arm at him.

"Digitalize of Soul!"

"Everybody!" Takumi cried out. "Xros Combo!"

As she fell from the sky, Alphamon called for her sword again. "Holy Sword Gradalpha!"

"Dramon Killer!"

"Metal Wolf Claw!" MetalGarurumon (Black) charged forward through the air with his wings extended, trailing ice behind him as he rammed into Duftmon.

"Gigastick Lance!"

"Phosphorous Fire Slash!"

Alphamon rose and looked down at the defeated Royal Knight. She offered her hand to Duftmon but the lion knight frowned at her as she was foolish to think he would give in now. "That I might be defeated…" he gasped before glaring at the boy approaching her side, "That unrivalled justice could falter here…" He began to laugh. "That's it! Destruction must be Yggdrasil's will! Now that my end is here, I finally see the light! May the will of Yggdrasil utterly destroy the human and Digital World alike!" he cursed them. "There is no greater proof than my perishing here!" He struggled to rise as he continued to laugh. "Worlds far and wide, be destroyed! Vanish, like me, leaving no trace behind!" Even as the data comprising his body began to decompose, he maniacally laughed until his form completely broke down.

Takumi frowned at the Digimon's fate. "Duftmon…"

Alphamon shook her head at her assistant as there was nothing to have been done about the Royal Knight's misguided interpretation of Yggdrasil's will. "There are no more Royal Knights to oppose us."

Omegamon nodded his head in agreement. "Now, we just need to find a way to handle the mass of Eaters who've come from the Digital World."

"Well," Nokia thought about it, "we could take them down one by one? But hey, there's a legendary Royal Knight here!" she exclaimed looking up at Alphamon. "She can use legendary power and do legendary stuff!"

"No," Alphamon shook her head, "That would take too much time."

"In that case," Arata smirked, "our only option is to ask you-know-who for help."

"That's right," a man's voice spoke up.

"S-suedou!" Yuuko's eyes widened as the scientist suddenly climbed up the stairs leading to the helipad. She nervously looked over towards Takumi but noticed he was still his calm self.

"I was wondering when you would show up," the Cyber Sleuth said, tilting his head to the side.

"My, my…" Suedou smirked back at the boy. "I see everyone's here," he nodded at the group of teenagers gathered together. "Oh, Arata-kun?" he blinked at the oldest child in surprise. "You've given up on evolution?"

"I trust these people," Arata told him, slipping his hands into his pockets. "I ain't buying your crap anymore," he frowned.

"I see," Suedou nodded. "Well, that's fine, I suppose," he shrugged.

"Since you're here… I'm assuming that means you have a plan, right?"

"Excellent, Arata-kun," the man smiled at him, "A brilliant deduction. Let me get right down to the explanation. To end this disastrous situation, all we can do is send the Eaters infesting Tokyo back to the Digital World."

"What!?" Omegamon tensed up.

"If we release the Digital Wave that is pooled in the Digital Line, the Dimensional Door will open," Suedou continued. "That will attract the Eaters, then in they go! Happily, the Digital Line is already primed, thanks to the energy you took from Duftmon. This plan can be executed at any time now."

"That's absurd!" Omegamon glared at him. "You would further doom my Digital World!"

"Yeah," Nokia frowned at the adult, "we're not letting that happen!"

Alphamon remained silent as she considered the plan. Takumi crossed his arms and closed his eyes. The two took in a deep breath as they thought it over carefully.

"Of course, I won't let such a thing happen," Suedou's smile widened. "It would just mean the end of our evolution. Did you know that the Eaters have what could be called a 'main unit'?"

"The Eaters'… main unit?" Arata knit his eyebrows together.

"Yes, yes!" Suedou nodded and brought a hand up to his forehead. "The 'Mother Eater' itself! Eliminate that and all the other Eaters will be wiped out in turn!"

"Where is this Mother Eater?" Alphamon asked.

"Deep in the Digital World," the scientist replied, "Yggdrasil's core. Yggdrasil, the host computer that can be called the creator of your world… has been worn away by the Mother Eater and has lost most of its functionality. This may be the reason why you Royal Knights have broken ranks with one another."

"Wait…" Omegamon frowned as he realized something. "If we know where the Mother Eater is, then we should go to Yggdrasil and remove it! Why do we need to send the Eaters back?"

"Unfortunately," Suedou shook his head, "you'll never be able to get close to Yggdrasil by charging in blindly. The wide-scale loss of functionality includes Yggdrasil's security system. It will be unable to discern whether anyone who approaches is friend or foe. I surmise the instant we enter the Digital World, we will be dealt with as bugs. However, seeing as the Eaters are all a part of the Mother Eater, they're a different story," he smiled. "If we can send Eaters that have incorporated a program of my devising back to the Mother Eater en masse… we could attach them to Yggdrasil and temporarily take control of the security system."

"And then we eliminate the Mother Eater," Arata finished for him.

"Hmm…" Alphamon stared at the scientist. "I think I follow you."

"There is no other way to remove the Eater threat from both worlds," Suedou stated.

"Oh boy," Nokia frowned to herself. "I'm totally clueless here. So like, this is our only choice, right?" she asked Yuuko and Takumi.

"It would appear so," Yuuko said.

Takumi finally opened his eyes and nodded. "I hate to admit it, but Suedou-san's right…"

The man smiled as that was probably the closest thing to a compliment he was ever going to get from the red-haired boy. "Now, to put this plan into action, there is one request I need to make of the Royal Knights. Opening the Dimensional Door is a simple matter. However…" he frowned, "I am dubious as to whether enough Digital Wave energy has accumulated in the Digital Line to actually KEEP the Door open. That is why, after the Eaters are in the Digital World and until Mother Eater is eliminated, I need you to hold the Door open from the inside."

"Leave that part to us," a dignified voice stated.

Although a bit surprised, Omegamon turned to face his ally. "Magnamon!"

"Everyone!" Nokia happily cried out as the golden Royal Knight was accompanied by Veevee, Sleipmon, and even Gankoomon and Examon.

"We'll be joining them too, Takumi!" Jesmon stated as he and Craniummon suddenly emerged from the Cyber Sleuth's Digivice.

Takumi nodded to them both. "I'll leave it to you then!"

Suedou chuckled at the sight of the remaining Royal Knights gathering. "Now isn't this heartening! Let us open the door to a new age! A new world! Speaking of which, let's make some quiet adjustments to the Digital Line." He looked over to the two legendary hackers there on the roof with him. "Arata-san, Yuuko-san, would you help me? Oh, and let's not forget Akkino-san either!" he smiled at Nokia.

"Eh!? Me too!?" Nokia blinked at him before frowning at the brazen man. "But wait, what do you mean 'don't forget me'?"

"Dear me!" Suedou smirked at her. "You've simply showed you've got a rather unique knack for hacking the Digital Line, is all!"

"Why not ask Takumi then?" Nokia looked over at the boy standing at her side.

"Hm?" the blue-eyed boy blinked at her. "I'm not really a hacker. I'm a Cyber Sleuth," he shrugged. "Plus… he has his reasons to not ask since I have my reasons to decline."

"That's right," Suedou nodded. "He's quite sensitive to changes in the Digital Line after all. Come now. You are a proud tamer of EDEN, are you not?"

"Really?" Nokia nervously smiled.

"It's alright," Takumi told her. "Go ahead. The three of you are leaders of the top hackers of EDEN after all!" He grinned at his three friends. "Jude, Zaxon, and Rebellions! There's nothing you three can't hack past together!" he nodded.

"All right, then, everyone," Suedou looked at the three hacking legends. "I'm counting on you." He pulled up a terminal and began typing. With the extra help behind him, he smirked as sparks of electricity began to gather on the roof. "Okay… Right now!"

Takumi flinched as a bright light pillar of light shot into the sky, opening a hole into the clouds. Magnamon quickly took off into the air. "Okay, let's dive on in!"

"Got it!" Veevee stated as he flew up too. "We'll push it wide open from the inside!"

"It seems crazy," Jesmon frowned, "but we've got no other choice!"

"Hmph!" Sleipmon smirked at the novice Royal Knight but followed the new recruit up anyways.

"For our lord Yggdrasil!" Craniummon cried as he boarded Examon's back.

Gankoomon crossed his arms as he did the same. "Let us see the results of our training as Royal Knights!"

Examon let out a fearsome roar and flapped his mighty wings to take off into the sky.

The seven Royal Knights disappeared into the thick clouds and Takumi watched as a strange pattern appeared around the circular hole that had opened up. After a while, his body began to tingle as Eaters from all over the city began to rise into the sky too. "Ah…!" his blue eyes widened as he tried to pretend he was okay. "Everyone, look…!"

"Whoa!" Nokia stared at the rising Eaters. "Amazing!"

Arata smirked at the two girls standing at his side. "Good work…"

"The Eaters are being sent back…" Yuuko stated in amazement.

Suedou continued working and soon the floor lit up as a large circular seal appeared underneath him. "There!" he exclaimed. "The door has opened! This 'magic circle' connects to the Digital World. Whenever you're ready…" he nodded to Alphamon and Takumi.

"Let me ask you one thing," the detective Digimon stated.

"Yes, yes, what is it?"

"You said we must eliminate the Mother Eater, but do you have an assured means of doing so?"

"Heavens! Didn't I explain?" Suedou smiled at her. His eyes glowed as he stared at her precious assistant. "Of course there's a way to do it. We extract the foreign object trapped within the Mother Eater: the mental data of Kamishiro Yuugo." Three of the four teenagers stared at him in surprise as he continued to explain his theory to them. "I believe Eaters were never meant to prey on data from life forms such as humans in the first place. But once Yuugo was devoured, their dietary habits changed. Incorporating human mental data was what first gave Eaters their present form."

"I thought so," Takumi knit his eyebrows together. "Yuugo's foreign data prompted them to evolve even further."

"Yes, they evolved," Suedou nodded to him. "The Eaters are now protecting his mental data as it was the impetus for that very evolution."

Yuuko brought her hands up to her mouth as she gasped. "Onii-chan…"

"It's held very carefully, deep within their core," Suedou surmised.

"You can't mean… the same place my brother said the Eaters were keeping him trapped?" Yuuko asked.

"Inside…" Nokia nervously grinned, "that Mother Eater thing?"

"Ultimately, he serves as a type of core," Suedou nodded. "If my theories are correct, when we remove him, a very interesting phenomenon will occur. Reversible programs being overwritten… Time being turned back on itself."

"Even time…!?" Takumi frowned at that.

"What!?" Arata's eyes widened.

"The Eaters' memory integration network is beyond our understanding, our imagination, and even our ability to comprehend," Suedou stated. "They are always sharing information and always making choices, but every instant is remembered! They have no concept of a capacity limit, nor any concept of time. They simply remember!"

"How…? How can that be?" Nokia asked.

"You're thinking it's not possible, correct?" Suedou stared at the surprised girl. "Then what about the things you all re-experienced recently, about what happened to you eight years ago in EDEN and the Digital World? What you saw is what LordKnightmon downloaded from Eater memories and recreated in virtual reality."

"R-recreated…?" Takumi felt his chest tighten as it had felt more than just a reenactment to him.

"She probably made some adjustments as part of her nasty little trap," Suedou shrugged, "but still."

"Why?" Omegamon stared at the man. "Why… do you know all this?"

"To be truthful, I am a part of the Eaters now," the scientist crookedly smiled as he scratched his head. "Or, more accurately, I merely have special access to their network."

"So that was how you pulled off your tricks!" Arata glared at him as he slipped his hands into his pockets.

"Cracking and tricks are the same thing," Suedou told him. "You could do it too if you wanted to, Arata-kun," he smirked.

"Are you for real?" the boy stared at him.

Yuuko smirked at the arrogant older teen. "If Arata-san can do it, then so can I."

"What!?" the leader of Jude frowned at her.

"Yes, of course!" Suedou exclaimed. "Anyone can do it! But human beings reject these possibilities on an instinctual level and you are no exceptions. This is because of your having been unable to realize true, unlimited potential while having been overtaken by Eaters once previously. Out of all of you though, the one closest at mastering such skills is Takumi."

"Takumi!?" Arata and Yuuko shouted in surprise.

"Eh!?" The Cyber Sleuth tensed up as all eyes turned towards him. The boy sheepishly scratched his cheek. "Me…? Unlimited potential…?" He chuckled at the thought. "That's going a bit too far, isn't it?"

Suedou chuckled at Takumi's feigned cluelessness. "But let's save that discussion for another time," the man stated. "It's a rather long story. Anyway, if the 'key data' that triggered the Eaters' evolution into to their current form were to disappear… my calculations indicate that time will rewind itself to a point before Yuugo's mental data was devoured by the Eaters eight years ago. The present will become a future that never happened and this 'proper' past will be our new present."

"Umm…" Nokia turned towards Alphamon with a wide grin on her face. "Excuse me… Take it, Kyoko-san in our studio audience!"

"This phenomenon is feasible in the Digital World," Alphamon nodded. "And with the material and digital realms having assimilated with one another, nothing is beyond the impossible at this point."

"Without a doubt!" Suedou exclaimed with a bright smile. "When the Eaters cause time to reverse, I wonder what effect will be seen in the 'real' world through the connection with the Digital World. It's possible that EDEN Syndrome will disappear. After all, it will be as if the cause of it never existed."

"You're talking about the law of causality, right?" Arata knit his eyebrows together. "I was beginning to think along those lines, too. But how do we get Yuugo out?"

"That shouldn't be any problem, I would think," Suedou smirked at him. "You've already experienced it, Arata-kun."

Everyone stared at Takumi in surprise again, prompting the redhead to blink at them. "What?" he asked. "It's just a simple Connect Jump," he shrugged. "What's with those looks?"

Arata frowned at the redhead. "Wait, hang on. If EDEN Syndrome disappears…" His eyes widened at a sudden thought. "That means Takumi and Yuugo can return to their original bodies, right!?"

"Eh!?" Takumi's blue eyes widened too. "I completely forgot about that!"

"That's kind of out of left field…" Nokia nervously pointed out. "It's a solution I totally hadn't even imagined."

"But right now, anything's possible," Arata pointed out. "Rescue Yuugo and bring him and Takumi home. The grand finale will be a happy ending," he smiled.

Yuuko smiled at the thought of her friend and brother returning to normal. "This might be out of left field too or maybe it's wishful thinking, but I can't stand waiting here doing nothing. I want to go see my brother."

"Yeah!" Nokia nodded. "Definitely!"

"My… body…!" Takumi stared down at himself in disbelief. "Even more… I can undo everything…" he muttered to himself. He prepared himself for the portal but paused when he noticed Suedou stepping into the center of the magic circle first.

The man chuckled to himself as he waved to them. "See you later," he nodded before disappearing into the Digital World.

"Suedou-san!" Takumi frowned as he started after the man, but Alphamon held him back. "Alphamon…?"

The Royal Knight looked down at her assistant. "I'd like to say that we should carry on as well, but…"

"What's the matter?" Yuuko asked.

"At present, the Digital World is a very dangerous place," the detective Digimon stated. "We don't have a lot of time, but it makes no sense to just rush in and make mistakes. Do you have anything left to do? If so, take care of it before we proceed. When you're ready, we'll head for the Digital World!"

"Alphamon is right," Omegamon nodded. "I've grown very fond of your world. I don't want to leave with any regrets. Once you are ready, just let me know. I'll be waiting here. We don't have much time, but preparations are important," Omegamon reminded them. "Go finish up what you need to do."

"Yeah," Takumi looked between his exhausted friends. "We had a lot of tough battles today. Let's rest up before heading out!"

"Let us return to our detective agency then," Alphamon nodded.

* * *

 **Final Notes:** And so here's a complete list of Takumi's current team: SaintGalgomon, HiAndromon, Rosemon, MetalGarurumon (Black), BlackWarGreymon, ChaosDukemon, Darkdramon, Mugendramon, and SaberLeomon. So yeah, after all of this, Dukemon is actually revealed to be safe and you can actually talk to him but because he was in the Eater network, he's too weak to really be of much help. I didn't really mean to kill him off here, but I didn't really find a suitable place to put down that he was okay... So he's not okay... That and I really wanted to give Takumi ChaosDukemon. Besides plot taking away Jesmon and Craniummon, I don't think I would have allowed Takumi to have kept them anyways because they're the best Royal Knights, defense-wise. Jesmon's omni-counter Schertgeist and Craniummon's impenetrable God Bless is way too abusable... As for Examon and Gankoomon showing up... Examon really doesn't have much of a personality in this game, probably because he's being corroded by Eaters. I just thought I might as well bring him back with whatever remaining strength he has... I mean... it's not like Takumi destroyed him or Arata ate him... Gankoomon... I don't get him... Wouldn't he want to save the Digital World? That's what he wanted to teach Jesmon... Either way, bringing the rest of the Royal Knights together under one banner sounded pretty good to me since this would further contrast Alphamon's and Duftmon's stances.


	29. Cyber Sleuth's Final Intermission

**Author's Notes:** You know... Something weird about Alphamon, the sword they give her model is the Ouryuken, but Alphamon Ouryuken isn't in the game. I guess the difference between both versions is a bit subtle, but I don't know... I mean... Alphamon's sword attack is called Holy Sword Gradalpha, so it doesn't really feel right for me to have her use Ouryuken... It's a shame Alphamon Ouryuken isn't available. I kind of wish Dukemon Crimson Mode was in the game too... He'll be making an appearance in Hacker's Memory though, apparently, so I'm looking forward to that. Anyway, here's the final set of side cases I wanted to include before the final boss. Two red cases and a purple case... As for the rest of the sets... I'll go over that later.

* * *

~COMEBACK~SHOW~

Takumi patrolled the halls of Broadway but paused when he overheard a businessman speaking to himself while staring at a Jimiken poster. "That all right with you, Jimiken?"

The redhead blinked at that. "Jimiken…?"

"A paradox, a one-winged angel, a demon's heart, fallen to this weakened world of lies and song," the man nodded.

"Is Jimiken making a comeback tour or something?" the boy absently asked. He tensed up as the man noticed him staring.

"So you wanna know about Jimiken, huh?" the man smiled. "Not yeeeet!" He chuckled to himself. "Jimiken is awesome!" He laughed before walking away. "There seems to be loads of people awaiting Jimiken's return! No, really! I meant it! It's the truth!" he continued to laugh.

"Something tells me I'm going to have to deal with a Jimiken case again soon," Takumi nervously scratched his cheek as a strange premonition washed over him. He shrugged it off though as he needed something to do while his friends were recovering. "Am I ever going to get to my next case…?" he wondered before returning to the agency.

* * *

 _Client: A Businessman in Nakano (?)_

 _Place: Shibuya_

 _Details: Do you remember me!? WHAT!? You don't remember me!? LOL! My comeback show is going to start._

Takumi blinked at the note as he recalled the strange businessman from before. "Don't tell me that was…?" He flinched as a transmission was suddenly sent to his Digivice.

"Ooooooh yeeeeeeeah!" Jimiken appeared on the screen with a bright smile on his face. "How's everyone doing tonight!? That's right. It's the one, the only, Jimiken!"

"Um…" Takumi blinked at him. "How did you get this number? Are you up to something again? I will stop you, you know…"

"Huh!?" The grown man brought a hand up to his forehead. "Hey! Your part is done already. You should be gone, baby!"

The Cyber Sleuth sighed. "I would leave but I can't just let a person like you free to wreak havoc while I'm gone."

"What do you…? What do you mean one-hit-wonder!?" The enraged rock star let out a furious yell. "How dare you defy the Lord of Rock! That's just cruel, baby!"

"You said it, not me," Takumi shook his head.

"Huh?" Jimiken blinked at the boy. "Okay, well maybe you didn't SAY it…" He fell silent and looked down. "But you were totally thinking it!"

"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't…" the blue-eyed boy shrugged.

"I knew it! I hope you remember that when you're facing me again! I've got a little surprise in store, Cyber Sleuth!" the man exclaimed with a laugh. "You are officially invited to Jimiken's Mighty Comeback Tour! Yeeeeeah!"

"Eh!?" the teen tensed up.

"Isn't that awesome!?" Jimiken asked him. "Aren't you so freaking psyched!? Oh, and guess who's Jimiken's special guest? I present to you… Miss Tawa Reiko!"

Takumi blinked at him a few times. "Who's that again…?" The name sounded familiar but the boy couldn't remember why.

"Huh? What do you mean, 'Who's that'!?" the rock star frowned at him. "That ain't funny, kid! Tawa Reiko! You know, Tawa… Reiko…" The boy continued to stare at him with a clueless expression on his face, causing the man to groan. "The CD sales-girl!"

"Oh!" Takumi's blue eyes sparked as he remembered. "The girl from Shibuya Records!" he nodded.

"Whatever! If you want her back, you'd best make an appearance!" the man smirked. "Come to Shibuya Records. We're gonna light it up and kick off the show!"

Takumi knit his eyebrows together. "Why do I have to appear?"

"You… you don't wanna go?" He shook his head. "But you have to go! I submitted a case! You accepted it!" he laughed. "I got you trapped now!"

Takumi stared at the slip of paper in his hand. "You submitted a case where you're the culprit of a kidnapping…?" The Cyber Sleuth was extremely confused by this. "What…?" He stared at the strange adult. "Should I even bother…?"

"A real sleuth would never abandon a case!" Jimiken pointed out with a laugh.

Takumi sighed as the man hung up. "I'm actually kinda worried about Reiko-san. Maybe I should go to Shibuya Records, just in case." He quickly left the agency but paused when a familiar Digimon in an orange monkey suit ran towards him.

"Hey, there!" Etemon smiled at the boy. "I was just coming to look for you! I can't find my darling soul mate anywhere! I went all around town but Reiko's nowhere to be found!"

"Yeah," Takumi nodded. "I was just about to go save her."

"You're going to save her?" the Digimon blinked at him. "From who? From what? What's going on!?"

"It looks like Jimiken might have taken her," the boy explained.

"That washed up, talentless, idiotic, one-hit-wonder kidnapped my sweet Reiko!?" Etemon exclaimed. "That tone-deaf freak had better not harm a hair on her head!" the Digimon seethed. "Just thinking about it gets me mad! He's probably got her locked up, doing terrible things to her… like making her listen to his new album! He will NOT get away with this! THAT POSER! THAT INSULT TO ROCK AND ROLL!" the monkey screeched.

"H-hey, calm down!" Takumi nervously tried to get him to settle down.

Etemon let out another cry. "My very heart ignites with this fury! REIKOOOOOOO! I must become something more. I must awaken the metal that slumbers deep inside! Soaring Guitars! Thundering Drums! The purest form of rock! Heavy Metal… Heavy Metal…! AWAKEEEEN!"

Takumi flinched as the Digimon became engulfed by a bright light. "Etemon!" When he lowered his arms, he blinked as the orange monkey was suddenly replaced by a monkey made of metal. "You… evolved…!?"

"I have become MetalEtemon!" the Digimon nodded as he was ready to save his favorite fan. "I'm coming for ya, Reiko! Yeeeeeeeaaah!"

"Well, come on!" Takumi nodded to him as they took off towards Shibuya.

* * *

MetalEtemon frowned as he studied the streets. There seemed to be a mini riot going on as throngs of teenagers cheered for something. "This is a tough situation… Before we go in, we need to gather some more info…"

Takumi crossed his arms as he noticed there were people wearing Demons masks about. "It looks like Jimiken has turned Shibuya into his own personal playground… Is this a part of his 'comeback tour'?" The boy decided to call out to the closest hacker standing in the street. "Hey! Do you know where Jimiken is?"

The hacker only laughed at Takumi. "Yeah, without Jimi, the music scene is just boring!" He quickly sent his Digimon forward to attack the interfering Cyber Sleuth.

Takumi dodged backwards as a dark grey dinosaur with a half-mechanized body tried to swing at him. The redhead frowned before having BlackWarGreymon counter him. "Use your Black Tornado against MetalTyranomon!" The Jet-black Dragon Warrior roared as he drilled into his opponent.

"Guardromon!" the hacker had his other Digimon try to help defend MetalTyranomon.

"Destruction Grenade!" the robot fired a pair of missiles from his wrists.

"Giant Missile!" SaintGalgomon countered them with his own set of missiles.

When both his Digimon collapsed, the hacker stared Takumi in fear. "N-no. I was defeated by this scumbag? I can't accept this! It's not happening!"

Takumi shook his head as he moved on but as he worked his way through the crowd, he noticed there were a lot of Jimiken fans gathered for the man's return. "Is Jimiken really that good?" he absently asked out loud.

"Yeah, it's good!" a girl wearing a cap cried. "It's got that Jimi-style beat. It stirs something inside you. That's just what real music should do!"

"I don't really get it," Takumi shrugged before he dodged out of the way of a rock being thrown at him. "Another Digimon battle!?" He knit his eyebrows together as his team defended him from the Gottsumon and Pumpmon charging towards them.

MetalEtemon frowned at the girl's taste in music. "Forget about that washed-up has been! This is what real music is!" He pulled out a microphone out of nowhere and began screaming into it. "Love Serenade!"

Both opposing Digimon winced from the noise before BlackWarGreymon knocked them out of his way. "Dramon Tackle!"

"Pff, pahlease!" the girl rolled her eyes at Takumi and MetalEtemon. "Jimi would kick your ass, buddy!"

Takumi shook his head as he continued onward towards Shibuya Records but another hacker wearing a Demons mask stopped him. "Who the hell're you?" the boy scowled at the Cyber Sleuth before sending his three Digimon to stop the redhead.

Takumi studied the large red aquatic Digimon carefully before noticing the two green frog-like Digimon flanking it. "TonosamaGekomon and two Gekomon," he mused before sending BlackWarGreymon and Darkdramon out to quickly get rid of the two Adults.

"Gigastick Lance!"

"Dramon Killer!"

The two Gekomon were easily dispatched but the TonosamaGekomon took in a deep breath before releasing out a booming roar through his two horns. "Kobushi Tone!"

MetalEtemon frowned as he screamed even louder into his microphone. "Dark Recital!"

Takumi covered his ears as the two Digimon made an obscene amount of noise. "SaintGalgomon!"

"Saint Punch!" the large Digimon launched a wave of fiery explosions from his fist, taking down the TonosamaGekomon.

The Demons hacker fell backwards as his team was torn apart. "Y-you're… so strong… It's like you're bursting with the furious and undefeatable soul of Jimi!"

Takumi knit his eyebrows together at that. "Um… No, I'm not." He shook his head before turning towards MetalEtemon. "It doesn't look like we'll be getting any useful information here."

"Pff, I know all about Jimiken already!" MetalEtemon shouted. "Let's go help Reiko at Shibuya Records!"

"We should have just done that from the beginning!" Takumi groaned as he headed straight for the music store. He got to the front of the building before noticing a crowd of Jimiken fans cheering and looking up. "Huh?" The boy curiously lifted his head and blinked at the man perched on the store's sign. "Jimiken!"

The man frowned at the blue-eyed teen. "Tooooo laaaaate! I'm sayin' you're just tooooo laaaaaate! Yeah!" He smirked and made devil horns on his hand. "Look who showed uuuuup! Had to keep me waitin'? I rock the truth, baby!" he cried. "Music is life! Welcome to the holy land! That's riiiiight! This temple of rock and roll soul! The Heavenly Tower of Shibuya Records!"

"You're through here, one-hit-wonder!" MetalEtemon shouted up at him. "Now get off the stage! Let Reiko free, right now!"

"Oh, yeah!? Hey, hey, heeeeeey!" Jimiken shook his head. "Monkeys don't bother me! I'll never set Miss Reiko freee! Now back the hell off! And don't intervene! This is between him and me!" he pointed at Takumi. "Don't make a scene!"

"I need to hear it from her!" MetalEtemon demanded. "You're a relic, Jimiken! Just a washed up rocker who lost the music long ago!"

The makeup wearing rock star let out a surprised scream at that. "Metal monkey! I ain't even begun to rock! Metal monkey! Can't turn back the clock!" He glared at the Digimon trying to challenge him. "We gonna tear this place up! This is Jimiken's comeback performance! And your farewell tour!"

Takumi sighed and lowered his gaze as his neck was getting tired up looking up. He paused though as he spotted a familiar girl coming out of the store. "Hm? Reiko-san?"

MetalEtemon tensed up and took a look at the girl for himself. "Re-Reiko!?"

"Hey, everyone!" the girl cheerfully spoke into a microphone. "You ready to rock tonight!?" she asked as the audience began to cheer around them. "Awesome! I think you all know this one…" She smiled as she began to sing off-key. "Ooooh! Ephemeraaaal hummingbird! Your song touches my heeeeaaart!"

The metal Digimon shook his head in disbelief. "What the… What… Huh!?"

Jimiken chuckled at that. "Didn't see that one coming, eh?" He tauntingly laughed at the monkey.

Takumi brought his hand up to his mouth and considered this situation. "I can totally just walk away right now…" he told himself. "I can just go and never come back." He nodded, not noticing Jimiken was trying to gauge the boy's reaction. "Yeah… That seems like the best plan…" He blinked when he sensed someone frowning at him intently. "Huh!?" Takumi tilted his head to the side and looked up again.

"Waaaaaah! Oh, yeeeeeeaaaaah!" Jimiken suddenly screeched.

"What!?" the Cyber Sleuth frowned as the rock star dropped three Digimon on him. BlackWarGreymon and Darkdramon growled as they rammed into the two DeathMeramon. SaintGalgomon tackled into Boltmon but winced as the Data Digimon began swinging his axe at him.

"Battle Tomahawk!"

The super-gigantic dropped Boltmon to the sidewalk before Takumi switched him out. The blue-eyed teen quickly had BlackWarGreymon and Darkdramon return to him. "Target Boltmon first! If at all possible, lure him into losing his battle axe!"

BlackWarGreymon roared as he began charging up the atmosphere's energy into a massive fireball. "Gaia Force!"

"Dark Roar!"

Both DeathMeramon tried to counter the blasts with their own flaming breaths. "Heavy Metal Fire!"

Boltmon rushed towards them with his battle axe raised above his head. "Battle Tomahawk!"

MetalEtemon screeched before throwing a banana peel in front of the Ultimate. "Banana Slip!"

Boltmon immediately tripped over his feet and landed in front of Takumi's third Digimon as he finished loading. Jimiken's eyes widened at the sight of the mechanical dragon. "That's…!"

"Mugendramon! Mugen Hand!" Takumi ordered.

Mugendramon's eyes lit up as he used his right arm to crush Boltmon. Jimiken shook his head at the unfair boy's powerful Digimon. "Hey, hey, hey! What's with you bringing a Digimon like that to this fight? It's not rocking for you to use Yuugo's Digimon against me! Are you feeling me?" he yelped when Mugendramon glared up at him with his dual cannons glowing.

"Easy, Mugendramon," Takumi patted the ferocious beast's head. "Just focus on the battle."

Jimiken yelled out to his DeathMeramon. "Get rid of that monster now!"

"Heat Chain!" Both Digimon tried to restrain Mugendramon with their burning metal chains, but Mugendramon roared as he snapped one chain with the sharp claws on his left hand.

"Booster Claw!" He shot the retractable arm at one DeathMeramon as BlackWarGreymon prepared a follow up attack.

"Dramon Killer!"

Darkdramon pointed his gauntlet at the other DeathMeramon. "Terrible Gaze!"

WarGreymon threw his opponent into Darkdramon's before the two quickly got out of the way. Mugendramon stomped his foot on the ground and pointed his cannons at the DeathMeramon. "Mugen Cannon!"

Jimiken frowned at the results before looking down at Takumi. "You're not bad," he reluctantly admitted with a groan.

"Um, Jimi-san?" Reiko worriedly frowned at the man. "Are you okay?"

"Reiko-san?" Takumi blinked at her.

"Reiko," MetalEtemon whined, "what's going on!?"

Reiko gasped at the strange metal monkey. "Etemon-san? Is that you?" She looked over towards the red-haired teen standing next to him. "Oh, and look, Cyber Sleuth Takumi is here too!"

"No…" the Digimon dramatically cried into his arm. "My poor, precious Reiko…! Has your bright heart been so poisoned by this talentless hack!?"

"What do you mean?" Reiko asked him. "You didn't come here to see me perform? It's my big debut concert!"

"Is that what this is?" Takumi asked. "Jimiken told me to come because he kidnapped you."

"Wait, what?" she blinked at the boy. "You think he… kidnapped me? Jimi? As some kind of human sacrifice? That's just ridiculous!" she shook her head and brightly smiled at the Cyber Sleuth. "There's no way! I was invited to perform! Tanaka-san came to the store and—"

"Whoa! Hey!" Jimiken began loudly coughing. "That does not rock!"

"Oops! I mean Jimi-san!" Reiko corrected herself. "Not Tanaka. Jimi. Anwyays, Jimi-san came to the store and told me about his dream of making music the whole world could love! He said he could sense my innate talent, so he invited me to come on up and sing!" she grinned. "I mean… performing like this, in front of a packed house. That's always been my dream. How could I pass up this chance?"

"Reiko…" MetalEtemon smiled at her. "You are fearless. Well, at least I don't have to listen to his terrible songs anymore."

"Hey, what!?" Jimiken glared at the Digimon. "My music rocks!"

"You really think so?" MetalEtemon challenged him. "Are you… deaf? This music doesn't rock. It besmirches the name of rock! It's just a poor mockery of rock! You could never understand rock's true might!"

"Whaaaaaaaat!?" the man asked.

"Hey! Wait!" Reiko cried. "Take a step back!" She smiled both musicians. "Stop fighting! Right now! Both of you have forgotten what music can really do! You're both talented. You're both unique. Why does it have to be a competition!?"

"No, no, no, no, nooooo!" Jimiken shook his head. "This ape thinks he's better than me? Jimiken?" He placed his hands on his hips and frowned at the Digimon. "That does not rock!"

"I've had about enough of you!" MetalEtemon pointed at him. "C'mere, you preening, star-faced punk! The blistering power of my metal will melt your face!"

"Oh yeah, monkey-boy!? Bring it on!" the man hoarsely cried. "I'll solo the heavy right outta your metal!" The rock star suddenly jumped down and ran off with MetalEtemon to settle things.

Takumi smirked as he tried to hold in his laughter. "So this totally happened…"

"Okay…" Reiko smiled as she watched both musicians try to hold a rock-off. "Not exactly what I had in mind, but at least they're talking."

"Yeah, I guess," the boy chuckled.

"Music is capable of a lot of things," she stated, "but most important is that it can bring people together. Digimon too." She suddenly raised a fist into the air. "Alright! I wanna be part of this rock-off too!"

"Eh!?" Takumi blinked at her before cheerfully smiling and giving her an encouraging nod. "Good luck then."

"The show's only just beginning!" Reiko nodded. "I hope you're ready to mosh tonight, Mister Cyber Sleuth!"

"Maybe next time," the boy crookedly smirked. "I'd better report the results of this case back to the agency. I hope you have fun, Reiko-san!"

* * *

"That was definitely a client for the ages," Kyoko smirked at her exhausted assistant. "As they say, 'Yesterday's enemy is today's client'…"

"Who says that!?" Takumi frowned at her.

She crossed her arms and chuckled at him. "The wheel of fate is always turning in detective work. You should know that by now."

The red-haired teen sank into the sofa with a sigh. "I'll say…"

* * *

~BOY~A~

"So, how are you feeling?" Arata asked Takumi as they both had coffee together at K-Café. "Is your body holding up?"

"It's holding," Takumi nodded. "I have problems sometimes focusing… and on some occasions I tend to lose control of my emotions… but for the most part, I'm fine," he shrugged. "You?"

"I'm good," the older boy nodded as he took a sip from his cup. "I don't have any side effects from having my body become an Eater, if that's what you're worried about."

"How about from my Digimon's attacks?" Takumi asked.

"Nah, I'm fine, really." Arata rubbed his sore jaw and smirked at Takumi. "Heh, that punch did sting though. I'll give you that."

"S-sorry…" Takumi lowered his gaze.

"That was a really childish thing of you to do back there, but…" the older boy crossed his arms, "that's not necessarily a bad thing, either."

"Eh?" the younger boy stared at his friend in surprise.

"Hey, Takumi?"

"Yeah?"

"Uh…" the older boy hid his expression behind his jacket collar.

"What is it, Arata?" Takumi tilted his head to the side.

"Tha…"

"Hm?"

"Th-thanks…" Arata finally told him.

The younger boy smiled at him. "Anytime…"

The two boys sat in the café in silence for a while before Arata frowned at how awkward this was. "You plan on staring at me all quiet like that all day or something?" he roughly asked the redhead. "Cut it out, Takumi! It's weird and embarrassing seeing that! I mean… I guess that's kind of your thing, but still!"

Takumi laughed at that. "I'm just repaying the favor from when we were little. You used to tease me a lot, you know!"

Arata smirked at that. "Yeah… you really have grown since then…" He lowered his gaze and frowned to himself. "Actually, to be honest… I have something I need to ask you."

"Really?" the blue-eyed boy also became serious.

"Because of all that trouble I ran into, I'm starting to feel like I'm falling behind the rest of you in terms of sheer strength and whatnot," Arata admitted. "I hate just leaving all the cool stuff to you and Nokia, so… I want you to come with me for a little while. I'll file this as a proper case, so now you have to do it as part of your job, right?"

"Even if it wasn't a case, I'd still help you out, Arata," Takumi nodded with a smile.

Arata chuckled at his kindness. "Yeah… I know…"

* * *

 _Client: Sanada Arata_

 _Place: Tokyo Metropolitan Building_

 _Details: I want to settle something from the past. The target is Under Zero. The purpose is revenge…_

"Revenge…?" Takumi frowned at that. "Arata, just what is this about?"

The raven-haired teen brightly smiled at his friend. "So you'll come along with me after all? Great! Thanks a lot, Takumi. I mean it."

"Well, it's not like I can say no," the Cyber Sleuth smiled. "But seriously, can you give me the details of the case?"

"There's only one thing I have in mind for us to do and that's go out and capture me a really strong Digimon," the older hacker stated. "All the crap I've had to put up with lately has meant I'm short on new Digimon and that's not good, not in the least. Besides… I also have some revenge that I need to exact sooner rather than later."

"It's not against a person, is it?" Takumi cautiously asked.

Arata shook his head. "Let's get going, Takumi. We're going to Under Zero."

The boy blinked at him. "You want to break in again!?"

The older boy nodded. "I'm sure you remember, but to get to Under Zero, we have to go through the Valhalla Server. This won't be easy, but I trust you to get us through." He crossed his arms. "I… can count on you, right, Takumi?"

"Of course!" the redhead brightly smiled. "But… will you tell me what's there already?"

Arata laughed at his curiosity. "Let's just get over there so you can find out for yourself!"

* * *

Takumi smirked as he finished clearing the last bit of security leading to Under Zero. "Alright, we're here," he stated with a nod.

Arata paused for a moment as he looked around the deepest room of the Valhalla Server. "When I went with some Jude guys to take on Under Zero, we had been unstoppable in EDEN up until then," he recalled with a small smile on his face. "Nobody could beat us. Adults, cops, nobody. We figured Under Zero would be the same way, even with its reputation for being impregnable." He suddenly lowered his head and hid his frown behind his jacket collar. "But we hit a snag when we got to the outer wall… A security Digimon showed up and kicked our asses. It was a complete and utter wash."

"A… Digimon…?" Takumi's eyes widened.

"Back then, we didn't know anything about Digimon programs at all," Arata explained. "We were only capable of doing analog hacking, which made us completely powerless to fight back. All we could do was grab our asses and run. Some of my buddies, they went crazy from the fear they felt here. Even the guys that were okay, they saw what they were up against and lost confidence in themselves. The whole thing made it vividly clear to us that we were little more than a pack of arrogant brats running wild."

"Arata…" Takumi frowned at the older boy.

Arata clenched his fists. "We let our pride get to us to the point where we bit off more than we could chew. The higher you rise, the farther you fall and all that. And one by one, people quit being hackers… It was the end of the legendary hacker group Jude." The older boy knit his eyebrows together. "I felt sorry for myself and hated to see it go. It sucked being powerless to stop them from leaving the team. I also had a constant fear in me I couldn't shake. Just remembering that time was enough to make me tremble with trauma… I didn't want anyone seeing me like that, though. So I tried to buck up and make it seem I was fine. So that's why I see this as revenge." He lifted his head towards the security cube in the center of the room. "I'll make that security Digimon's power my own and finally rid myself of this regret…"

Takumi wryly smiled at him. "It's not really revenge though, Arata," he chuckled. "You really just want to surpass yourself…"

Arata nodded as he started for the room's center. "I'm not the punk ass kid I once was back then. I'm better than that, better than my past…" He looked back towards Takumi and smiled at his friend who always supported him. "Now come on. Let's go."

"Right," Takumi nodded.

The veteran hacker began hacking into the cube and soon a Knightmon emerged before them. The boy laughed as he faced the old Digimon. "So you're still standing guard here," he smirked as he slipped his hands into his pockets. "Color me happy. It's nice to see you again!"

The Holy Land Guard Knight frowned at the raven-haired teen. "I don't… Who are you…?"

"Don't tell me you've forgotten now."

"It seems that I have…" the Digimon stated. "At the very least, you're not in my memory banks."

"Arata laughed at that. "I knew it! I mean it makes sense. Why would you!? You beat us so fast!" He prepared his Digivice. "But I remember… Hell, I could never forget you."

"I don't understand what it is you're speaking of, but any intrusion will not be tolerated," the guard said, raising his Berserk Sword.

"Ah, yes. Of course," Arata nodded. "This is just how it went the first time, too! Seriously, this is great! I wouldn't have it any other way. You're perfect just the way you are! Unlike you, though, I'm a changed man. My legs don't shake and my mind's cleared up now! I've grown up!" He quickly called out Infermon to his side. "I'm here to get vengeance for my friends! I'll kick your ass and march right on through! I won't lose this time! Not with my friend Takumi at my side here!"

"Let's go, Arata!" Takumi cried as he sent his team forward to back up Infermon.

"Hell's Grenade!"

"Mugen Cannon!"

"Gaia Force!"

"Dark Roar!"

The Knightmon took the attacks head-on as he charged for Infermon. "Berserk Sword!" He haphazardly swung his weapon, trying to cut the Perfect Digimon in half, but Infermon cackled as he retracted his limbs and head.

"Cocoon Attack!" the Free Digimon cried before ramming into the knight.

"Demon Stab!" Darkdramon lunged forward with his lance out but Knightmon quickly deflected it with his sword.

"Ankoku no Gaia Force!" BlackWarGreymon charged up the negative karma around them before throwing the giant ball of fire at their opponent.

"The Duel!" Knightmon sliced a spinning blade of air which cut through the inferno. He raised his sword again and began hacking at the four Digimon around him. "Berserk Sword!"

Takumi's eyes widened as the crazed swordsman knocked his team to the ground. "Everyone!" He quickly dug through his bags for recovery items but tensed up as Knightmon continued his rampage. "H-hang in there!"

"Infermon!" Arata cried out to his Digimon to take down the Knightmon.

Infermon remained in his cocoon state as he endured the blows. When Knightmon finally tired himself out, he opened his mouth and breathed out a stream of dark, electrified gas. "Virus Skater!"

The large knight winced but swung his sword at the spiderlike Digimon. "Grand Smash!" Instead of slashing at Infermon, he tried to blow his opponent away.

Infermon tightly gripped the ground though and partially retracted his limbs. In his half-cocoon state, he allowed his body to swing back and forth until he had enough momentum to launch himself forward at Knightmon. "Cocoon Attack!"

The large Digimon was knocked backwards and Arata smirked as this was their chance to end things. "Let's go! Hell's Grenade!" His Digimon cackled as he fired at the Knightmon.

Takumi looked up towards the Digimon as he applied a health spray on his team. "Arata!" he called out to his friend, seeing Knightmon was down. "That's enough! This battle is over!" Infermon stood over the defeated Digimon though, ready to finish it off, but the redhead shook his head. "Arata!"

Arata stared at the Knightmon with an intent frown but he decided Takumi was right. "Yeah… Just winning is good enough…" he stated as he began to relax. "Infermon! We're done here." He was about to turn to leave but paused when his Digimon was acting strangely. "Infermon?" Infermon laughed as he began to evolve. "Diablomon…" Arata stared at his new Digimon in surprise before slipping his hands into his pockets and smirking. "You know what? I feel… at peace now."

"You do?" Takumi asked with a tilt of his head as he patched up the Knightmon too.

"I've probably been a burden to you guys with the Digimon I've kept with me up until now," Arata sighed. "But now that I've got this guy…" he nodded to Diablomon, "I think I can go on with you all. I want to see this thing through to the end."

"What do you mean?" the Cyber Sleuth asked.

Arata chuckled and crossed his arms. "Don't make me say it. Seriously."

"Alright…" Takumi happily smiled at his friend's growth.

The older boy stared back at him before averting his gaze. "Dammit," he frowned, "Didn't I tell you before? Quit with the staring already! Jeez!"

Takumi laughed as he put his hands on his hips. "Why are you being so shy, Arata? That's not like you!" The younger teen yelped when the older backer suddenly put him in a headlock.

"Really?" Arata smirked at the red-haired boy and lightly tapped his skull.

The Cyber Sleuth freed himself from the hacker's grip and grinned at him. "We're done now, right?"

Arata nodded as he looked at the Knightmon continuing to watch them. "I think with that, this case is closed now, so… Thanks," he gratefully nodded to his friend before smiling up at the empty room. "I'm… going to stay here a little longer and think, if that's all right with you."

Takumi smiled at him in understanding. "Alright," he nodded. "I'll see you later then, Arata."

* * *

"I take it the boys' 'rite of passage' is over now?" Kyoko asked with a smirk as Takumi returned.

"Yeah," Takumi nodded. "Arata finally evolved, just like I knew he could."

"The final phase is at hand now," she crossed her arms as she stared at her assistant. "I hope there aren't any lingering regrets once it's over."

The teenager tilted his head to the side. "Why would there be any regrets? Everyone's come so far within these eight years. Nokia… Yuuko… Arata…"

"Don't forget yourself."

"Me?" the boy blinked at that before putting on a sheepish grin. "You really think so?"

The detective proudly nodded as she continued to study him. "You might not notice it yourself, but I'm certain of it. No matter what destiny lies before us, I'm sure you'll be able to overcome it."

"That's right… My destiny…" Takumi took a moment to consider what that might be. _Mirei-san is always telling me about how my thread of fate keeps weaving itself into an intricate web connected to my friends and Digimon. Kyoko-san even labeled this as my greatest power. It's the ability for me to 'connect' to everything around me that led me to meet everyone. This power will also be what will save the world._ He smiled as he remembered the final responsibility given to him: Connect Jumping into the Mother Eater to rescue Yuugo. _Once I do that, everything will become undone and…_ He paused at that thought. _Everything will be undone…_ He looked up towards Kyoko and noticed her typing away at her keyboard at an insanely incredible speed. _If everything comes undone, won't my web also begin to unravel…?_ His blue eyes widened in fear as his selfish desire for everything to remain as they are returned to him.

* * *

~TERRIERMON'S~EXCLUSIVE~SCOOP!~

"It seems everybody is prepared to depart for the Digital World," Kyoko noticed. "What do you think, Takumi? Are you ready too?"

The red-haired boy frowned to himself. "Not really…"

"Oh?" the detective blinked at him. "Is something on your mind?"

Takumi knit his eyebrows together. "I was going it over in my head what we were going to do, but then I realized something… If we turn back time so that Yuugo was never devoured by the Eaters… then EDEN Syndrome wouldn't exist. If EDEN Syndrome never existed, then you and I…" He fell silent as he didn't want to finish that thought. He sighed and shook his head. "I guess I never really got over my childhood weakness…"

"Is that so bad?" Kyoko asked him. "You're only human after all. It isn't so strange that you would carry doubts, but as you have proven time and time again, you have the ability to overcome such thoughts and feelings."

"But that's only because I have my friends at my side to help me succeed," Takumi told her. He lifted his gaze and stared at the detective. "This doubt I carry now… it's because I'm afraid I'll lose someone important to me once I finally do succeed. 'I have nothing to lose alongside my friends'… I'm sorry for overanalyzing such an elegant expression, but I _do_ have something to lose!" The detective's assistant clenched his eyes shut as they began to fill with tears. "I don't want to lose the connections I've made!"

Kyoko never took her eyes off the sensitive teenager as he silently sobbed to himself. She remained calm as she gently spoke to him in her usual stern way. "So what do you intend to do then? Our final mission is entirely dependent on you and your Connect Jump ability. Do you wish to abort now? Right when we're so close to the end?"

"Of course not," Takumi replied as he dried his tears. "I'm just… not ready to go yet. If I go now, my doubts will only hinder us. I can't… risk losing more than I have to…"

"So you'll wait," Kyoko stated, "until you're ready."

"I… I don't know," the boy hung his head. The two sat in silence for what felt like an eternity until Takumi worked up the nerve to speak again. "Are you disappointed in me, Kyoko-san?"

"Hmm…" Kyoko sat back in her seat and crossed her arms. She remained silent for a long while before finally coming up with a proper answer for her assistant. "It's a good idea to be plenty prepared, but don't forget that the clock is ticking."

The teenager wryly smiled at her words as he felt the immense amount of trust and faith she had in him. "I understand, Kyoko-san…" He clenched his right fist as it only made his inner turmoil worse. Despite that and his wish to never lose his bond with her though, he felt the urge to give her a grateful smile. "Thank you…" he softly mumbled.

The Digimon in a woman's body smirked as it was just like him to respond in such a strange manner. She shook her head though as she decided it would be best to take his mind off his worries through work. "Ah, yes, a new case has just been submitted to the office from a Digimon," Kyoko told him. "I'd like you to take it."

"Me?" Takumi blinked at her. "Why not you?"

"This case is a little tricky…" the detective brought a hand up to hide her smirk. "It needs to be taken care of by a human. I'm too much of a Digimon at heart and so I have decided you should take care of it."

"I see…" Takumi nodded in understanding.

"You may choose to begin whenever you like," she smiled at him. "As always, check the whiteboard and then I'll have the client come over for a meeting."

"I'll take it now, Kyoko-san," he nodded to her. The detective's assistant quickly rose to his feet to check out the case note she posted up. He gently took it down and read it carefully.

 _Client: Terriermon_

 _Place: Kuremi Detective Agency_

 _Details: I want Digimon to be better friends with humans! That's why I need a secret human scoop!_

Kyoko got off the phone with the client and smirked at the redhead. "Well, here he comes now."

Takumi turned towards the agency's entrance and spotted the cream-colored animal coming in. "Ah, you must be the detective in charge," Terriermon smiled at Takumi.

"I guess…" the boy nodded as he took a seat on Kyoko's usual sofa. "So, what do you need me to do?"

Terriermon jumped onto the other couch and began explaining the case to the boy. "When the interdimensional wall broke down, I was sent from the Digital World to this one. Right now there are Digimon in this world that are afraid, don't know where they are, and think of humans as their enemies. I would rather not see humans as my enemy. I'd still like to think there is a way that humans and Digimon can coexist peacefully. But I didn't know what to do…" he lowered his gaze. "So, that's when I heard about you guys and how you have solved many problems for Digimon. So, I would like to examine you in detail," the Digimon stated, scrutinizing Takumi. "Please show me all the good that humanity has to offer!"

Takumi blinked at that. "Examine me in detail…?"

"Yeah!" Terriermon nodded. "We're gonna eat together, sleep together… We'll be together all the time! It's gonna be great!"

"U-uh… R-right… O-okay…" the Cyber Sleuth hesitantly nodded as he understood why Kyoko handed him this case.

"Takumi," Kyoko crossed her arms and frowned as a new case request was just sent to them, "Sorry to interrupt, but… I know it's sudden, but there's another case I'd like you to take."

"Eh!? Another?" Takumi looked up at her.

She nodded as she explained it to him. "It seems someone has run out on a bill at a restaurant in Shibuya. The restaurant staff is asking for help in tracking down the perpetrator. It's been a while since we've had a case fit for a detective. Please handle this one as well."

"Sure," the boy nodded. "Terriermon," he looked at his client, "why don't you come along?"

The Digimon nodded as he jumped onto the boy's shoulder. "Let's go!"

* * *

Takumi looked around the street before speaking with the café waitress who had submitted the case. "Excuse me, but I'm here about a dine-and-dash case?"

"Ah, you're the detective, aren't you?" the woman smiled at him. "Please, right this way!" She led him inside so he could get a look at the crime scene. "I sent in the request and I work in the café. Please, I need your help tracking down and arresting this criminal who ran out without paying!"

Takumi crossed his arms and nodded. "Can you give me a summary of what happened?"

"Earlier today, at around 2 PM, a diner took up and left without paying for their meal," she began as the boy pensively brought a hand up to his mouth. "I was here in the café with my husband. As usual, I was dealing with the customers and my husband was cooking. Then, I think it was at about five minutes to two, I went out the back door to go and phone my friend and I left my husband in charge of the café. While I was on the phone I heard a voice cry from inside the café 'It's a dine-and-dash!' so I immediately hung up and went back into the café." She lowered her head and frowned to herself. "But when I got inside my husband wasn't there. He had run out of the café after the criminal. Before I went out for the phone call there had been more than 20 customers in the café, but…" she looked up at the listening detective, "When I heard the shout and came back in, four of the customers had gone! As I thought my husband had gone after the criminal, I entrusted the café to a regular I knew and went out looking for the missing customers."

Takumi looked over to the four people off the side and nodded. "I see…"

"Wow," Terriermon stared up at the woman in impress, "You were able to find the four missing customers in such a short amount of time?"

"Honestly, I just got lucky…" the woman smiled at the Digimon.

Takumi turned towards the four customers. "Okay, is there anything else I should know before I interrogate them?"

"The dine-and-dash occurred about five minutes after I went out the back to make the phone call," the waitress stated. "These customers must have left during that time. I'm good with faces. It's sort of a talent of mine. They even admit that they were all in the café. So… I talked to each of them and listened to their stories, but I can't work out who it was. I'm sure one of them must be the criminal, but… Please," the woman requested, "go and ask each of them about this and catch the criminal. Surely the only one who is lying would be the criminal. The other three have no reason to lie. Please investigate the crime."

"Just leave this to me!" Takumi gave her a reassuring smile.

"Still," she worriedly looked around, "I really wonder where the heck my husband is. Seriously…"

Takumi approached the first customer and discovered her name was Yotsuya. "The dine-and-dash happened at 2 PM exactly, right?" she asked. "At that time I had almost finished and had got up to go to the restroom. I returned and heard 'It's a dine-and-dash!' and there was a commotion in the café… It had nothing to do with me, so I put my money down and left."

"Do you know who it was that shouted?" Takumi asked.

"Yeah, the shouting voice was definitely the waiter," she nodded.

Takumi moved onto the next customer Sanpei but the glasses-wearing college student seemed extremely jumpy. "Ni-nishio is not the criminal!" he adamantly stated as he stared at another customer. "She's a… a beautiful woman. I fell in love with her as soon as I first saw her and… and…"

"Can you just tell me about what happened?" Takumi frowned, not wanting to deal with another stalker case.

Sanpei nervously nodded. "I spent my entire lunch eating cheap spicy curry and staring at her, but after someone shouted out 'It's a dine-and-dash!' Nishio left the café. The criminal obviously ran out of the café before the shout!"

"It looks like Nisiho has a good alibi," Takumi mused to himself. He nodded as he decided to speak with her last. For now, he would get Ichihara's story.

"I was the one who yelled out 'It's a dine-and-dash!' The café owner man who heard me went running after the criminal," the brunet stated.

"Hmm?" Takumi crossed his arms as this testimony contradicted Yotsuya's story. "What did you do around that time?"

"I was curious about the dine-and-dasher, so after that I went straight up to the counter, placed the money there, and then left," Ichihara nodded. "I could only see the criminal from behind. It was a woman. I tried to run after her too, but I lost sight of both the waiter and the criminal."

"I see…" Takumi knit his eyebrows together. He closed his eyes as he went over his thoughts. "Ichihara's and Yotsuya's testimonies contradict each other therefore one must be lying. Who is it though?" He shook his head as he would need the last customer's recount in order to solve the case.

Nishio crossed her arms as she tried to recall what had happened. "There was another person named Yotsuya who left about the same time as I did. No one was behind the till, so I didn't know where to leave my money, but she left it by the register so I did too, then I followed her out of the café. I also heard someone shout about the dine-and-dash, but I don't know who. It sounded like a man's voice. One man, shouting once."

"Thank you for your help," Takumi nodded to her before going over his thoughts again. He noticed the small Digimon following him scrunch his face up. "Hmm? Is something wrong, Terriermon?"

"Uh…" Terriermon frowned. "Well, now I'm a bit confused… It's hard for me to follow… But, whenever you don't understand something you just need to hear it several times and make a note of it, I guess. We need to find the two people whose stories don't match."

"Yeah," the boy agreed. "After doing that, it's best to cross-reference the stories to the other testimonies to see which one matches up the best." He crossed his arms and closed his eyes. "Just following these steps…" his eyes snapped open. "I think I've got it!" he exclaimed before returning to the café waitress.

"How is it going?" she asked. "Do you know who the criminal is?"

The Cyber Sleuth nodded. "Yes, I do."

"Really!?" the woman blinked at the teenager in surprise. "Please, tell me who it is!"

Terriermon stared up at Takumi curiously. "The criminal is… who?"

"The perpetrator is…" the red-haired boy brought a hand up to his chin, "Ichihara," he stated with a nod.

"Huh?" the brunet frowned. "Why me!?"

"I knew it!" Terriermon exclaimed. "That's who I thought it was too, Takumi!"

"What!?" the young man shook his head. "I never did any such thing! If you think I'm the criminal, let's hear your explanation!"

"Well, let's see…" Terriermon crossed his arms. "Out of the four customers, two of their stories most definitely didn't match. Isn't that right, Takumi?" he asked the Cyber Sleuth.

The boy nodded and placed his hands on his hips. "Was the man who shouted the waiter or Ichihara?"

"Yes, well done!" Terriermon jumped up. "Just what I'd expect from you, Takumi! Among the four people, there is conflicting testimony… Who actually shouted 'It's a dine-and-dash'? Was it the waiter or Ichihara? In that case," he looked up at the waitress, "you would know your husband's voice well, as you hear him all the time, right?"

"I'm sorry," the woman frowned. "I just heard a loud voice cry out suddenly. I can't remember if it was my husband's or not."

"Oh… I see…" the Digimon frowned. He shook his head though as he continued. "In any case, isn't it strange that Ichihara said he was the one who shouted out, whereas Yotsuya claimed it was the waiter? So that must mean one of them is lying! Which means one of them is probably the criminal, right?"

"Wait…" Ichihara frowned, "but then, why are you accusing me and not that Yotsuya woman?"

"Well, hm, that's…" Terriermon knit his eyebrows together before turning towards the detective working the case. "Takumi, do you know?"

"Nishio and Sanpei's testimony must be correct," Takumi stated.

"Yes! That's right, Takumi!" Terriermon chuckled at the Cyber Sleuth's impressive deduction skills. "You're really something!" He turned back towards Ichihara. "So basically, we should trust in Nishio and Sanpei's testimony, right? Yes," he nodded to himself, "According to Nishio, there was only one shout, so it can't have been both Ichihara and the waiter. According to Sanpei, Nishio left the café right after the dine-and-dash happened and Nishio and Yotsuya left the café at almost the same time. So essentially, there is no one who can back up Ichihara's story… Yotsuya's alibi is backed up by Nishio and Sanpei, and they're not the criminal, so we can believe them. That means Yotsuya can't be the criminal. The criminal said the opposite of what Yotsuya said… Yotsuya told us the waiter shouted, but the one who said he himself shouted out was…" The Digimon pointed at the frowning customer. "The criminal is Ichihara!"

"I…!" Ichihara took a step back. "Don't… don't talk such nonsense!" he cried out. "I was definitely the one who shouted out! I called out to the other customers in the shop to warn them about what this stupid jerk was doing! I already told you! I ran out after the criminal! Why are you blaming me!? You should be thanking me!"

Takumi frowned as it didn't look like Ichihara was going to give himself up so easily. He paused though when a sweating man came into the café while panting. The café waitress turned to face him too and blinked at the man in surprise. "Oh, dear!"

"I'm sorry…" the man sighed. "I couldn't catch the criminal…"

"The criminal is here!" Terriermon called out while pointing at Ichihara. "Is this the guy?"

"You!" the waiter frowned at the customer. "You're the one who dined-and-dashed!?"

"Um," Ichihara frowned as he realized there was no way out of this.

At that point, a police officer past the café so the waitress called out to him. "Ah… Mr. Policeman! This guy here is the one who ran out on the check!"

"This young boy ran out on the check in your restaurant?" the officer asked. "Right then," he grabbed Ichihara, "he's coming down to the station with me."

Terriermon jumped up and down as the officer led the criminal away. "Case closed! Wow, Takumi, you really are as good as they say!"

Takumi sheepishly scratched his cheek and laughed. "I guess…"

"Right, back to the office!" Terriermon exclaimed. "I'm sure Kyoko-san will want to congratulate you on a job well done!"

"Right!" Takumi was about to leave the café but the officer suddenly returned.

"You there!" the man called out to the teenager. "Hold it for a second. You're the one who tracked this criminal down?"

"Sure did," Takumi nodded.

"Wow, that's amazing!" the police officer nodded. "Quite the feat indeed." He saluted the boy. "Thank you for your help in catching this dine-and-dasher!"

"W-well…" the redhead nervously chuckled. "I'm just doing—"

"Or whatever," the police officer shook his head at the simpleton. "I'm done with this…"

"Huh?" Terriermon blinked at the man in confusion.

Takumi narrowed his gaze and studied the man's uniform. "Hey… That's not…"

Ichihara snickered at them from behind the uniformed man. "You're such a bunch of chumps!"

"Huh? What is this?" Terriermon asked.

"Great job working that out," the man pulled his officer's cap down, "unfortunately it doesn't matter. Don't you get it yet?" He quickly pulled off the costume. "How about now? I'm not a real cop."

Takumi sighed. "That's the second time this has happened to me now…"

Terriermon lowered his gaze and held his head in fear. "Oh no…" he trembled.

Ichihara laughed at the small Digimon. "Oh, you should see your faces!"

The fake officer frowned at Takumi. "We are members of the much talked about Shibuya Delight gang. Members of Delight love the thrill of getting away with crimes again and again and we're impossible to catch."

"But that's…!" Terriermon sternly frowned at them in disapproval. "You mean you actually enjoy running out on checks and restaurants, doing bad stuff and deceiving everyone!?"

"Tip of the iceberg, idiot!" Ichihara sneered at the small Digimon. "Do you really think that'd be enough to satisfy us? You've embarrassed us and you're gonna pay for that. We will have our revenge! First, I'm gonna spread a rumor around that you couldn't catch the guy who did the dine-and-dash! Best detective around? I don't think so!"

"But such a roundabout kind of revenge won't be enough for us!" the fake cop nodded.

"Catch me if you!" Ichihara challenged Takumi. "If you can't, we're gonna keep doing bad stuff!"

"Hey!" Takumi frowned at them as they took off.

"Eh!?" Terriermon tried to grab Ichihara but it was too late. "They got away! Where do you think those guys are going?"

The café waitress frowned at the sudden turn of events. "I heard something. A gang of thugs who always cause trouble around this neighborhood hang out at the Shibuya subway station."

"In the labyrinth?" Takumi knit his eyebrows together.

"But don't even think about going after them. It's too dangerous," the woman looked at the teen in concern. "Those guys are criminals, so we should leave this to the police. Here is your fee," she handed the boy his payment. "Please, don't be shy. You did a great job tracking down the criminal."

The woman walked away and Takumi frowned at the fee in his hand. "I can't accept this if they're still on the loose."

"Hmm," Terriermon lowered his gaze, "I just… I'm a little worried about what that guy said before, about 'revenge'… I know what it is. Revenge is when someone does something bad to you so you do something bad back to them in return, right?"

"Yeah…" Takumi sighed.

"Why would he say such a thing though?" the Digimon asked as he held his head in confusion. "It wasn't our fault he got arrested. It was his own fault for doing all those bad things. Nothing good ever comes from getting back at someone…"

"You're right…" the redhead sadly stared at the ground and placed his hands on his hips. "It tends to just lead into a spiral of darkness and despair…"

Terriermon moaned at such scary thoughts. After a while, he looked back up to the Cyber Sleuth. "Anyway, sorry," he apologized. "Should we go after those guys?"

"Yeah," Takumi nodded. "It wouldn't feel right for me to leave them to do as they pleased."

"Okay, let's do it!" the Digimon exclaimed. "We're off to the Shibuya subway station!"

* * *

"For them to be in a labyrinth would mean they would need Digimon of their own," Takumi mused as he looked around the station.

"Those guys are trying to use Digimon for evil purposes," Terriermon frowned. "They're probably abusing them all the time." He shook his head as he didn't understand it. "We never use humans for anything! I never want to have that kind of relationship with a human!"

"It's like you say," Takumi nodded as he picked up the upset Digimon and placed him on his head. "Let's get over there and show these guys!"

"What the hell!?" Terriermon exclaimed as he jumped off the boy's head. "Let me off!"

"Sorry…" the boy apologized. "You're getting a bit too riled up though. Just relax and we'll be fine."

The Digimon nodded in understanding before staring at the path before them. "I wonder if those guys are in here. Let's go!"

* * *

"We've got you now!" Takumi glared at the delinquents. "Just give it up and turn yourselves in before I drag you in myself!"

"Well done," the blond man pretending to be the officer crossed his arms and smirked at the persistent Cyber Sleuth, "you've managed to find us!"

"To be honest," Ichihara shrugged as he slipped his hands into his pockets, "you guys just came here to be defeated by us, but well done anyway! You guys use Digimon, don't you?" he asked studying Takumi's team behind him. "Well, we happen to be hackers too, so let's go! We are the better Digimon masters, as you will see."

"Masters…?" Takumi frowned at that.

"Here, I brought this along with me," the fake cop handed Ichihara a Digivice. "Use it to fight this guy."

"Wha…!?" Terriermon tensed up as a powerful train-like Digimon rushed towards them.

Takumi carefully pulled the small Child aside as the train swerved around to face them. "Terriermon!"

The long-eared Digimon jumped out of the boy's protective grasp and frowned at the train Digimon. "GrandLocomon!"

The fake cop laughed. "This is a Digimon I found around here recently. After we had a little 'chat' or two with him he became a nice obedient little slave."

"What!?" Takumi angrily tensed up as his team growled at the hackers.

"The pride of Delight has been insulted," Ichihara stated. "Avenge me, little Digimon. Put the hurt on them!"

The Ultimate let out a painful roar as he was forced to battle them against his will. "Destroyed Crash!" He threw his spiked wheel into the air and it segmented itself into pieces before the Digimon fired them at Takumi and Terriermon.

"Brave Shield!" BlackWarGreymon protectively rushed in front of them as Darkdramon charged his Gigastick Lance.

"Dark Roar!"

"Don't directly attack him!" Takumi called out to his team.

Terriermon nodded as he tried to help stop the rampaging Digimon. "Blazing Fire!"

GrandLocomon shook off the attacks before charging towards them again. "Limited Express Attack!" As he gained speed, the friction produced red-hot flames.

Mugendramon roared as he rammed into the train to stop it. The two skidded to a halt before the draconic machine's eyes lit up. "Catastrophic Day!" He detonated himself and the two Ultimate Digimon were caught by the explosion.

"Mugendramon! GrandLocomon!" Takumi clenched his fists.

Ichihara and his friend laughed at such a reckless move. "What's that supposed to do? What a weak Digimon! But that's what happens when they're led by such a weak hacker!" the fake cop exclaimed.

The boy tensed up when Takumi's Digimon turned towards them for insulting their tamer. Darkdramon roared as he prepared his Gigastick Lance. Ichihara let out a shaky cry before controlling the large train with his Digivice. "G-grandLocomon! C-crush them!"

Terriermon frowned. "Takumi, that machine!"

"Darkdramon! Help Terriermon get that Digivice away from them!" Takumi called out as he applied a health patch on his mechanical dragon. "BlackWarGreymon, support Mugendramon!"

GrandLocomon struggled to rise as he was forced to attack again. "Destroyed Crash!"

"Black Storm Tornado!" BlackWarGreymon summoned multiple tornadoes to direct the attack away from him, while also doing his best to not harm the train.

"Booster Claw!" Mugendramon shot his arm towards GrandLocomon and tried to restrain him.

"Come on! Crush them with your Limited Express Attack!" Ichihara yelled.

"Dramon Tackle!" BlackWarGreymon tried to push against the train as GrandLocomon tried to pick up speed.

"Darkdramon!" Takumi called out to his Cyborg Digimon.

Ichihara yelped as the D-Brigade weapon rushed towards him and Terriermon quickly began to spin around. "Petit Twister!" The hacker suddenly dropped his Digivice and Darkdramon quickly stabbed it with his arm.

"Gigastick Lance!"

With the Digivice destroyed, GrandLocomon's body sparked with electricity as he finally came to a halt but Takumi gasped as he noticed the Digimon's injuries. He hurried forward with multiple recovery patches in hand but the ground underneath the train began to crumble away. "Everyone! Get back!" Mugendramon and BlackWarGreymon quickly backed away but GrandLocomon didn't move as he fell into the Digital abyss. "GrandLocomon!" The Cyber Sleuth quickly held out his right hand and scanned the falling Digimon's dissipating data.

Terriermon sadly stared at where GrandLocomon fell. "Oh… GrandLocomon!"

The fake cop screamed as Darkdramon let out a low growl. "P-please! Don't kill me!"

"Wh… WHAT!?" Ichihara took a nervous step back. "But that… that doesn't make any sense! How could that Digimon be defeated so easily!?"

Terriermon trembled in rage as he faced the two criminals. "Never… I'll never forgive you!" he cried. "Digimon are not tools for you to use! We were flung into this world we don't know. Every day we struggle with terror and fear… There are Digimon being terrorized by humans! But… there are also Digimon who believe there can be friendship between humans and Digimon! That GroundLocomon probably thought that!" The small Digimon began to cry. "Humans are… Humans are…!"

"Terriermon, that's enough," Takumi knelt at the Child Digimon's side, placing a hand on Terriermon's small shoulder. "Not all humans are like that," he gently reminded him. "I'm your friend, right?"

The Digimon snapped his head up towards the Cyber Sleuth. "Uh! Takumi…" He sniffled as he wiped his eyes. "That's true. You're not like that, Takumi. You help any human who is in trouble… and even Digimon like me as well. We haven't spent much time together, but even so, I know," Terriermon nodded. "You are kind and warm-hearted, Takumi."

"M-me…?" Takumi knit his eyebrows at that but a small smile appeared on his face.

Terriermon took a deep breath before facing Ichihara and his friend again. "Like Takumi said, give yourself up to the police. Reflect on what you've done and set it right. Even people like you can turn things around… So, I'm going to try to trust in you."

"Ye-yes!" Ichihara nodded, frightened by the three Virus Digimon eying him suspiciously. "I will leave immediately…"

When the two left, Terriermon looked up at Takumi before noticing the boy was studying some new data he collected. "Ah! GrandLocomon! You saved him!"

Takumi nodded. "I'm a Cyber Sleuth, aren't I?" he asked with a smile.

The small Child Digimon smiled back at the boy before climbing onto his shoulder. "Well… I guess this has turned out well then, wouldn't you say?"

"Sure did!" Takumi grinned as he placed his hands on his hips.

* * *

"Alright," Takumi stated as they emerged from the labyrinth. "We're finally out. Where do you want to go next, Terriermon?"

The small Digimon paused and looked down at the ground. "Well, Takumi, I think that about does it for my case."

"Huh?" the Cyber Sleuth turned to face him. "What do you mean? I thought you wanted to examine me completely. That's why you submitted this case, right?"

Terriermon wryly smiled at him. "You know, the reason I picked you wasn't just because you were a capable detective. I wanted to make friends with humans, but I myself was afraid of them," he frowned down to himself. "So I asked you guys because you have a good reputation among Digimon. Humans like those guys and I will never understand each other," Terriermon shook his head. "Some part of me will always be afraid and never want to be around them."

"Terriermon…" Takumi knit his eyebrows together as the small Digimon reminded him of someone he once knew.

"But when I see you, I understand," he looked up at the kind red-haired boy.

"Y-you do…?" Takumi asked.

"Whether it's a Digimon or a human, you have a way of looking at someone and gaining their trust. So, I would like to be able to look people in the face and be honest, like you," Terriermon nodded. "I'd like to be able to make friends, without being afraid."

"Make friends… without being afraid…" Takumi smiled at that.

"More than that," the Digimon continued, "I want to go out and tell the Digimon of the world that there are humans like you, that they don't need to be afraid."

"Yeah…" the Cyber Sleuth felt his blue eyes fill with tears so quickly wiped them up. "You have nothing to lose alongside friends… right?"

Terriermon nodded in agreement. "And finally I would like to ask you something, Takumi."

"What is it?"

"My hand may be small, but…" Terriermon shyly lowered his gaze, "pinky promise?" He looked back up at the boy. "Promise me, however hard it may be, you will never give up. You will create friendships between Digimon and humans and do your very best!"

Takumi paused at that as he remembered what had been bothering him before. He took a deep breath to dispel his worries and gave the small Digimon a determined nod. "It's a promise," he stated. He knelt down and linked his pinky with Terriermon's.

"Yeah!" Terriermon grinned at the boy. After a while, they finally let go of each other's pinky finger and Takumi stood back up. The small Digimon took a few steps back, ready to face the world on his own again. "Well, anyway, it was really awesome how you dealt with that case, Takumi! Thanks!" he nodded. "Okay, I'm off then!" He turned around but paused. "See you later!" he called back to the boy once more before finally leaving.

Takumi watched the small Digimon disappear down the street and smiled to himself. He clenched his right fist and stared at it for a while before nodding. "Thanks, Terriermon… for reminding me what it is I'm fighting for… and who it is I want to be…" He turned around and started back towards the agency. "I… don't want to be afraid anymore either."

* * *

"I'm home, Kyoko-san," Takumi smiled at the detective as he returned.

Kyoko looked up from her screen and greeted him with her usual response. "Welcome home, Takumi." She chuckled as he handed her the case fees he collected. "Yet another case successfully solved!"

"Yeah," the boy nodded but he paused when he noticed the woman scrutinizing him. "Is something wrong, Kyoko-san?"

"Huh?" she blinked at him. "Is it just my imagination or do you look a bit more mature?" she asked. Takumi knit his eyebrows together and smiled back at her. "Well, when we have the time you can tell me about it in detail."

"But we have time now," Takumi pointed out as he grabbed an empty folder. "And… this is something I want to tell you before we all leave to the Digital World."

"So you've come a decision?" Kyoko gave the boy her undivided attention.

The Cyber Sleuth seriously nodded to her. "I want to face the Mother Eater without holding back. I want to save Yuugo and I will. I won't allow myself to falter anymore. I have no excuse to so long as everyone is at my side."

"And if in the end we were to part?" she asked him. "What will you do then?"

Takumi kept his gaze steady. "Doggedly and with all my might, I will exhibit endurance like hard black iron," he stated. "Even if we have to say goodbye, I won't give into my weakness. I'll surpass myself no matter what."

"What makes you think you can?"

"I know I can because we're connected to each other by fate." He clenched his fists. "That's what I believe with all my being!"

Kyoko finally cracked a smile at him. "Well, it looks like things went just like I had hoped. You've really grown up a lot, I feel like."

"Kyoko-san…" Takumi stared at her with glowing blue eyes.

"The case is about to come to a close," she told him with a nod. "Once we set off, there will be no turning back. I trust you understand your responsibilities."

"Of course!" the Cyber Sleuth stated, ready to see this through to the very end.

* * *

 **Final Notes:** Terriermon's case is my favorite DLC case... There's just something heart-warming about it being the final case you can do before leaving for the Digital World. Arata's case you actually get by talking to him on the roof of the Metropolitan Building before departing for the Digital World. It's not as impressive and Nokia's or Yuuko's evolution cases... but I suppose it works. That Knightmon isn't too much of a challenge though. I think the only problem with him is if his Berserk Sword attack does connect, because it's insta-death. And then there's Jimiken's case... They seriously give him a case to wrap things up but not one for Ryota? Oh well... At least the world didn't implode from too much MetalEtemon and Jimiken... I know at this point you also get access to the Royal Knight Challenge cases and the Demon Lords cases, but those feel more like post-game stuff. I'll be altering the epilogue anyway so those case sets will be more like bonus chapters. I finished the Challenge cases, but I'm still working on raising a proper team to fight Lucemon... It's taking a ridiculous amount of time because I'm actually focusing on case hunting that Agumon (Black) medal than training my Digimon... Meh, I'll get to Lucemon eventually, I suppose.


	30. From the New World

**Author's Notes:** So I ended up splitting this chapter into two parts so the epilogue stuff will be posted tomorrow. I did alter the epilogue quite a bit though because... I don't think the game's actual ending fit the story. Anyway, we're almost to the end.

* * *

"Ready to go?" Kyoko asked as she closed the blinds to the agency.

"Yeah," Takumi nodded as he finished packing away his supplies into his belt pouches. "I'm ready." He paused for a moment and looked around the office once more. "Um… but before we go… I just wanted to say thanks…"

"Hmm?" the woman stared at him.

"Thank you for everything, Kyoko-san," the boy repeated himself as he looked up at her. "I'm glad to have met you and become your assistant. It's because of your belief in me that I was able to evolve into who I am now." He clenched his fists. "No matter what happens, I promise I won't ever forget that we're always connected. I don't know whether it's through fate or luck or what, but we are connected," he nodded.

Kyoko smiled as she placed a hand on his shoulder. "I couldn't have asked for a better assistant than you," she told him with a nod. Takumi happily smiled at her as he readjusted the goggles on his head.

He turned towards the exit to prepare to leave, but he paused for a moment. "Kyoko-san… I have one more request… Can we have one last cup of coffee together before we go?"

The Digimon in the woman's body chuckled. "Of course, my dear Watson," she nodded as she reheated her last batch. She poured out two cups and handed one to Takumi. "With this, it's time to see this journey through to the very end."

Takumi grimaced but he managed to stomach the strange mixture of seaweed, yogurt, Tabasco, cream cheese, and tapioca. He grinned to the detective as he finished. "Let's do this," the Cyber Sleuth stated with a nod.

* * *

Yuuko's face brightened when she finally saw Takumi and Alphamon arrive. "They're here," she stated with a nod.

"About time," Arata smirked with his arms crossed.

"You're late!" Nokia frowned at the red-haired boy. "You're always late!"

"Sorry, but there were a few last minute things at the agency we had to take care of," Takumi chuckled.

Alphamon nodded in agreement. "It seems we're all here." Everyone gathered around the magic circle that would lead them straight into the Digital World and the black Royal Knight glanced at the team's members. "Suedou has his own goals," she reminded them, "and I'm certain he's using us to achieve them."

"Still, at the same time, we're using Suedou-san to rescue my brother," Yuuko nodded.

"Hmm… 'To create a new world'…" Omegamon pondered what that could mean. "That is his objective."

"To erase all sadness from all worlds," Arata crossed his arms and frowned. "Everything he's done has been to achieve that. Everything he'll go on to do as well."

"But that…" Nokia frowned, "that's not really possible, is it?"

Takumi lowered his gaze. "It is… but it's something we shouldn't worry about too much for now."

Alphamon nodded in agreement. "Whatever his aims, it doesn't change ours. He may desire the creation of a new world… but we're going to the stop the destruction of the old one."

"That's right," Takumi nodded alongside his three friends.

"Good," the legendary Royal Knight smiled at their resolve. "Now then, let us do what must be done."

"Understood," her assistant stated.

Nokia grinned at her best friend. "Anytime you wanna head out, I am ready!" Soon, she frowned at all of her friends. "This is important! Have you got your tissues? Teeth brushed? Gone to the bathroom? You don't wanna have to go in the heat of the moment!"

"Jeez," Arata frowned at her. "If anyone needs to be reminded to do all that, it'd be you."

"Hey, Arata, why don't you say that to my face, you geek?" Nokia glared at him.

"I just did, didn't I?"

"Now, now," Takumi tried to step in between them with a crooked smile. "Let's focus on the task at hand."

Yuuko chuckled at her friends' squabbling. "All this time, I've been trying to do something about EDEN on my own," she frowned to herself. "But each time I tried, my methods were off…" She looked up at her friends with a determined smile. "But this time… everything's just right."

"It's because everyone is here together," Takumi nodded.

Arata smirked in agreement as he stared up at the clouds in anticipation. "Finally, we're almost there. It's been a helluva roundabout route, but it was worth it. Let's go," he nodded. "We'll meet again after… all of us are together," he clenched his fists.

The three of them looked towards Takumi who took the lead. "It's been eight years since we last saw the Digital World… We've come a long way since then. We've grown and changed for the better. In other words, we've all evolved. Now, it's time for us to evolve even further by correcting our past mistakes… together." The Cyber Sleuth turned to look at his friends and watched as they all gave him a determined nod. Takumi smiled at them, knowing they all had each other's backs. "Let's go," he stated, "Into the Digital World!"

* * *

Takumi didn't know what he had been expecting when he opened his eyes, but the lush green jungle of the Digital World was now a drab, monochrome field of dying trees and Eaters. Nokia was even more surprised as she looked around in fear and sadness. "This… is the Digital World?" she asked.

"This is horrible…" Yuuko shook her head in disbelief.

"Compared to how it should be, yeah…" Takumi nodded.

"And our world is going to end up like this too?" Arata knit his eyebrows together.

"We won't let it," Takumi stated as he stepped forward to get a better look around.

Arata crossed his arms. "Where's Suedou?"

"Let's keep moving," Yuuko suggested as she and Takumi took point.

"Yuuko, wait!" The Cyber Sleuth tensed up as a strange creature appeared before them. It wasn't registering as a Digimon but it certainly did feel like one. The boy frowned as he noticed a strange vine-like cable extending from the white machine. "Is this a part of the security system Suedou was talking about before?" He winced as a headache came to him when the thing began speaking in the garbled language he somehow understood.

 _"Monkogu na eraa ga hatsusei. Kensagu hatsuken tadachi ni haijyo suru."_

"Wh-what's that sound?" Nokia frowned.

"It thinks we're errors," Takumi strained himself to translate what he could understand. "I think… it wants to eliminate us!"

"Everyone, stay alert!" Yuuko called out as she quickly pulled Takumi back to safety.

Alphamon protectively stood in front of her assistant. "This is Yggdrasil_7D6, a genuine Yggdrasil terminal."

"Yggdrasil sees us as foreign objects," Omegamon frowned. "He's been totally worn away by Eaters!"

"Yggdrasil no longer possesses any will," Alphamon shook her head. "I can't hear his voice, either. Before us is a wall that blocks our progress. It's nothing but a mere program."

"Hmph!" Nokia smirked. "If it's… just a wall…!"

"We just have to break through it," Yuuko nodded, "right?"

"Right!" Takumi rushed forward but Arata pulled him back.

"I'll do it," the older boy stated. "Consider it part of my rehabilitation!" He quickly called Diablomon to his side.

"Whoa, very buff!" Nokia stared at the new Digimon in awe. "When'd you get so strong, Arata?"

"Heh!" the veteran hacker smirked as he raised an eyebrow at her. "Who do you think you're dealing with?"

"Way to go," Yuuko smirked at him. "Even when he's not in top form, he's still legendary. I've got to hand it to the original leader of Jude. To have gotten a Digimon that can rival mine in such a short span of time… You're a real hardcore nerd. And something of a sore loser." She shook her head at the older boy. "To be blunt, I'm a little bit turned off."

Arata frowned at her. "Hey! Don't call me a nerd! I'm a geek!" He shook his head and looked over at the former Zaxon leader. "And Yuuko, what about you? Your personality hasn't changed?"

Alphamon sighed at the teenagers. "You all were the possibility I believed in," she shook her head. "You need more self-awareness in that regard."

Takumi nodded in agreement. "We have to focus on our goal here," he seriously stated as he studied Yggdrasil_7D6. He winced when the terminal began speaking again.

 _"Haijyo. Haijyo. Haijyo. Haijyo…"_

"Here it comes!" Omegamon warned.

"Takumi, stay back for now," Alphamon sternly told her assistant.

The boy was about to argue with her but decided against it when his vision blurred a little. "A-alright, Alphamon," he nodded. "Arata! Go for it!"

"Diablomon!" Arata called out to his partner.

"Catastrophe Cannon!" the Unknown Digimon's green sphere in his chest glowed before rapidly firing out shots at Yggdrasil_7D6.

The white robotic being didn't falter as it summoned a large crystal and cast it towards the Digimon. _"Kyodai na Kurisutaru!"_

Diablomon smashed through the projectile by rolling towards it and slicing through the crystal with the blades on his back. "Page Fault!"

Takumi watched the battle restlessly as the two fighters exchanged blows until he refocused his attention on the terminal's cable. "Arata! Try severing that cable underneath it!"

Arata frowned as he tried to figure out what the boy was referring to before his dark blue eyes widened. "Diablomon! Cable Crusher!" Diablomon responded by stretching his arms towards the vine. His large claws slashed at it once before it cleanly severed the line. Soon Yggdrasil_7D6 collapsed to the ground. "Ready as ordered, I guess," the raven-haired teen smirked.

Yuuko gasped as something caught her eye. "Everybody, look up at the sky!"

Takumi lifted his gaze and stared at the mass of Eaters flying in a strange formation. They were all headed in the same direction so he curiously turned to see what could be lying at their destination.

"Whoa, what?" Nokia frowned. "Are those all Eaters!?"

"It's like they're heading somewhere…" Yuuko studied them. "No, being forced to gather."

"Suedou is leading them," Arata guessed. "And so that's where Yggdrasil's main unit must be."

"Okay, let's go!" Nokia called out with a nod.

Takumi stayed behind to study the Digital World a bit more as the others started without them. He finally did follow them but paused as his entire burned with pain and began to flicker. He bit back his urge to yell out and got down to a knee before taking a moment to recover. He carefully checked his friends ahead of them but let out a relieved sigh when nobody noticed a thing. He forced himself back up and quickly caught up with them, without saying a word.

After a bit of walking, they found a massive hole before them. "Is that the entrance?" Nokia asked as she crossed her arms. "Well, I don't know if I'd call it much of an entrance," she noted.

Omegamon carefully scanned it. "It's a hole worn away by the Eaters that goes all the way down to the core," he concluded.

"Then Yggdrasil himself will be down there," Yuuko guessed.

"But now it's a den of Eaters," Arata pointed out, "and what Suedou called the Mother Eater is there."

Yuuko nodded but gasped when she spotted Yuugo's ghost staring at them. Nokia knit her eyebrows together as she tried to speak. "So that…"

They stared at Yuugo in confusion as he began speaking in the same garbled language Yggdrasil_7D6 spoke. Takumi strained to hear the memory fragment's words as he felt his senses dull. _"Koko ni iru yo."_

"This is it…" Takumi gasped.

"Yuugo is calling to us," Arata stated.

"Yeah," Nokia nodded as they were getting close. "He's been waiting for us this whole time."

Yuuko smiled. "I'll be with my brother soon."

Takumi managed to get his breathing to become level again and nodded. "Just a little further…"

"All right," Arata looked at the three younger teens. "Let's go rescue our friend."

"This time for sure…" Nokia nodded.

"We're all coming home together!" Yuuko exclaimed.

"That's right!" Takumi nodded and did his best to fight against the searing pain he was experiencing. He let out a shout as he was the first to jump into the hole. "Let's go!"

With his friends behind him, the boy looked around the spiraling staircase that descended to the strange Eater form in the center of the hole. Yuuko's eyes widened at the sight of it. "Th-that's… the Mother Eater?"

"Whoa… It… It's huge!" Arata exclaimed.

"How can this be?" Omegamon asked. "Yggdrasil himself has been completely overtaken and has been fully corrupted!"

Suedou's voice suddenly spoke to them. "I'm just barely able to hold him back." Everyone turned towards the scientist typing at his terminal. "As expected, the original functions of Yggdrasil are being almost entirely suppressed. All the Eaters we sent back have incorporated programs that just send out junk data over and over. Even Yggdrasil's calculation functions have hit a temporary buffer overflow as a result."

Yuuko, Arata, and Takumi spoke at once.

"Like a Trojan horse," the oldest stated.

"Like a virus vector," the girl nodded.

"Like the Russian folktale of the Giant Turnip!" the redhead grinned. Both raven-haired hackers glared at each other before blinking at Takumi in confusion. The bright-eyed boy only smiled at them and tilted his head to the side. "What? Is there something wrong with my analogy?"

Suedou smirked at the pair of hacking legends and deceptively ingenious Cyber Sleuth. "Neither description is technically mistaken. But Takumi is the most correct."

Both legendary hackers' eyes widened at their seemingly idiotic friend. Arata was the first to look away from the boy as he grumbled to himself. "Tch… We really can't underestimate this guy…"

Yuuko smiled at Takumi. "As expected… you defied my expectations of you yet again."

"You know that's an oxymoron…" Takumi pointed out to her.

"Anyway," Suedou shook his head at them, "we need to debug Yggdrasil and soon." He extended his arm to the path ahead, wanting the children with Digimon to take the lead. "Let's head for the Mother Eater. Yuugo has been waiting for some time."

Takumi nodded as he ran ahead of them but he tensed up as he felt another terminal nearby. He dodged a large crystal before Alphamon quickly charged forward to save him. "Holy Sword Gradalpha!" The black Royal Knight quickly severed the terminal's cable without a thought before charging ahead of her assistant. "I know you're eager to continue but I told you to stay back!"

"Just leave this to us!" Yuuko agreed as she sent Gaioumon forward to take down another terminal.

"Phosphorous Fire Slash!"

Nokia nodded to him. "This time we'll protect you!" She trembled as she faced the final terminal awaiting them. "I-I'm not s-scared!" she cried as Omegamon charged his Garuru Cannon.

The white Royal Knight fired his weapon with a roar before revealing his blade. "Grey Sword!"

"You guys…" Takumi smiled at his friends as they continued to lead the way. "Alright!" He stopped before the colossal humanoid Eater form looming over them. "Now the rest is up to me…" he clenched his fists.

"What do you think, Takumi?" Arata asked. "Can you make it?"

The Cyber Sleuth held out his right hand but frowned as none of the Digital Waves allowed him to access the Mother Eater. He shook his head as he continued to search for a way to Connect Jump. "Come on…"

"I think it's impossible as things are now," Yuuko stated, lowering her gaze.

Alphamon studied the Mother Eater carefully. "Activity is being suppressed by a large number of Eaters. Movement seems to be greatly restricted. Their fighting strength is an unknown quantity. But 'unknown' means we compare favorably for now."

The four teens paused at that before grinning at each other. Arata coolly slipped his hands into his pockets. Nokia crossed her arms. Yuuko brought her arms up in determination. Takumi placed his hips and nodded. The Mother Eater groaned before gazing down at them.

Arata glared up at the beast. "That said, it looks like it's ready for us!"

"Then let's attack!" Nokia grinned.

"Be careful not to hurt my brother!" Yuuko stated.

"We absolutely won't lose!" Takumi cried as he sent his entire team forward. "Let's go, everyone!" He roared as his Digimon attacked without reserve. "Xros Combo!"

"Giant Missile!" SaintGalgomon launched both of his missiles from his shoulders.

Mugendramon's eyes lit up as he roared. "Mugen Cannon!"

Darkdramon aimed his Gigastick Lance at the Mother Eater. "Dark Roar!"

"Gaia Force!" BlackWarGreymon hurled the condensed fireball he charged from the atmosphere's energy.

MetalGarurumon (Black) howled as his chest plate opened. "Garuru Tomahawk!"

"Destroyed Crash!" GrandLocomon fired his segmented spiked wheel.

"Infinity Arrow!" SaberLeomon roared as he shot the sharp hairs from his main.

ChaosDukemon's shield glowed as he channeled the gathered energy into his Balmung. "Chaos Shot!"

"Prickle Storm!" Rosemon fired a green energy shot.

"Atomic Ray!" HiAndromon's regulatory turbines combined their energies to shoot a beam.

Standing behind Takumi, Alphamon smirked as she held up her right hand. "Digitalize of Soul!" She watched as the Mother Eater toppled over in ease, but frowned as the battle went too smoothly.

Takumi must have noticed too because the boy knit his eyebrows together as he studied their downed opponent. He was distracted when his friends grinned at his strength though. "How's this, Takumi?" Nokia asked.

The blue-eyed boy nodded. "This will do."

"I'll leave the task of saving Yuugo to you," Arata told him.

"Please rescue my brother, Takumi!" Yuuko smiled at him.

"Please save our good friend!" Nokia cried out.

"Understood!" the Cyber Sleuth gave them a determined nod before raising his right hand to the Mother Eater. He slightly winced as his body began to flicker.

"Huh!?" Nokia's eyes widened in surprise. She frowned in worry alongside Arata and Yuuko.

"Hey, Takumi!?" Arata tried to reach out to the younger boy, but it was too late as Takumi already disappeared.

Takumi winced as the pain intensified. He ignored it though as he spotted Yuugo's ghostly memory fragments calling out to him. "This way!"

"Yuugo!" Takumi went after the raven-haired ghost.

"I've missed you," the ghost sadly frowned at him. "I've been so lonely. You came for me," he smiled at Takumi. "I'm so happy, happy, happy! Hurry up! I want to see you all."

"Yuugo…?" Takumi sensed something was wrong with this version of his role model. He winced as he heard someone else call out to him in the deepest recesses of his mind.

"No…" a boy's sorrowful voice spoke.

"Yuugo!" Takumi went further into the network when he sensed the older boy's presence.

"I was looking for everyone," the ghost sighed to himself, "Looking this whole time. I finally found you. I don't want to be by myself anymore. I want to go home, go home, go home…"

The redhead found it was getting more difficult to breathe and it wasn't just because of the physical pain he felt. "T-these thoughts… S-some of them used to belong to…"

"No! That's not it!" the sad voice called out to him again.

Takumi forced himself to continue onward and the ghostly boy frowned at him. "Why did you run away and leave me? Did you not like me?" he asked. "Is that why I'm trapped here?"

"Yuugo…" Takumi felt himself want to cry. "I-I'm… sorry… I didn't mean to…"

"Don't listen to that voice!" the voice sternly called out.

"I hate you all!" the ghostly glared at Takumi. "All of you, just go away! All of you… Just die!"

"D-die…?" the Cyber Sleuth knit his eyebrows together as it didn't seem like a bad idea, given the amount of guilt he felt crushing him.

"Don't listen to 'my' voice…!" the voice tried to reach out to Takumi.

"Somebody find me!" the ghost cried out. "Somebody help me!"

Takumi screamed as the conflicting voices confused him. "Yuugo!"

"Help, help, help, help!" the ghostly boy continued to shout.

"Y-yuu…go…" the Cyber Sleuth forced his body to continue and tried to reach out at the raven-haired boy standing alone with his eyes closed. "Yuu..go!"

Yuugo suddenly opened his eyes. "You mustn't come here!" he warned Takumi, but it was too late.

"Eh!?" Takumi quickly pulled Yuugo and himself out of the Mother Eater and they toppled out onto the ground.

"T-takumi…" Yuugo gasped as he landed on his hands and knees. He looked up at the boy who saved him but noticed Takumi was down on one knee, trying to contain his pain.

Takumi cried out in agony as he placed a hand over his heart and grabbed at his own shirt. His burning chest felt as though it wanted to tear itself apart. "Ngah!"

"Takumi!" Nokia tried to call out to him.

"Yuu…go?" Arata exclaimed in surprise.

"Onii-chan!" Yuuko worriedly ran to them both with the other two behind her.

Yuugo slowly got up and looked at them. "Arata… Yuuko… and Nokia, too," he worriedly frowned at them.

"We did it!" Nokia cheered. "It's really Yuugo-kun! For real!"

"Hey, Yuugo," Arata tried to coolly his best friend as he slipped his hands into his pockets. "Long time no see."

"Onii-chan," Yuuko cried as she couldn't believe her brother was really here in front of her after so long. "I'm so glad. I-I'm so, so glad!"

Yuugo shook his head as now wasn't the time for celebration. "Listen to me, guys. If we don't do something…" He clenched his fists in determination as he helped Takumi up. "If we don't do something, the world as we know it will be utterly consumed by the Eaters!"

"What do you mean by that?" Omegamon asked.

"I was fully absorbed, imprisoned by them, and I became a part of their shared data network," Yuugo explained. "One of my roles was to suppress their activity."

"Suppress their activity?" Yuuko asked.

"Yes," he nodded, "I tried to keep their rate of erosion down. They have nothing we would call 'awareness'. They store and share data and by influencing each other are building a single unified consciousness. Each individual Eater acts as a single part of one group consciousness."

Alphamon nodded as she was beginning to understand Yuugo's role in being a part of that network. "And using that unified consciousness network, you were able to appear here and there in cyberspace. That's how you showed yourself before Takumi and the others."

"By using the Eaters as a terminal, yes," Yuugo nodded, "But I wasn't authorized to send my thoughts. All I could do was send fragments of my memories as data, over and over again. I had plenty of limitations, but in the end, it all managed to work out. The mental data of the humans incorporated by the Eaters is stored within the network. All of it," he stated, looking over towards the panting redhead he was holding up.

"Whoa…" Arata's eyes widened as he stared at two boys. "Then that means…"

"If Yuugo-kun isn't part of the network anymore…" Nokia frowned.

"The erosion speed will increase without limit," Yuuko worriedly stated. "And we might lose all the stored mental data."

Takumi groaned as it looked like he messed up again. "S-sorry… Yuugo… All I ever do… is cause you problems…" He let out another pained cry as he forced himself to stand without Yuugo's help. "I-I'll… fix this… N-no… problem…" he gasped as he faced the Mother Eater again. "I won't… let us lose everything now! Not after we've come so far!"

"Even so," a man spoke from behind him, "that's a condition for evolution! It's necessary for the creation of a new world!" Everyone turned as Suedou finally caught up to them. He walked past the teenagers and stood right in front of the fallen Mother Eater. "The loss of even the smallest world, the birth of even the smallest grief, cannot be allowed!" he declared. "I will bring order to this new world." He turned towards the boy who had been trapped within the foreign network for so long. "Yuugo-kun," Suedou sympathetically frowned, "you have suffered and grieved enough. You must be released from those shackles."

Yuugo gasped at the man's words and watched as Takumi took a step towards the scientist. "Suedou-san!" the redhead frowned at him.

"Thank you, Takumi," Suedou nodded to the young Cyber Sleuth, for rescuing him. "Only you, with your skills, could have done it. You are a miracle of the old world!"

The blue-eyed boy lowered his gaze and frowned at himself as he felt as though he just made things worse. "A miracle…? Me…?"

The man nodded at the teen as his smile grew. "However, do not allow yourself to be surprised!" he stated. "In the new world, miracles like that will be commonplace!" Suedou turned his back on them and continued approaching the Mother Eater.

"Suedou," Arata glared at him, "what are you up to?"

"I will take Yuugo-kun's place in the group consciousness," he answered.

Yuugo stared at him in surprise as his best friend seemed at a loss too. "Huh!?"

"What I mean is," Suedou smirked, "I will become the Eaters' consciousness myself! Their sole driving will! And… With Yggdrasil's omnipotent calculations and the Eaters' high-dimen—no, ultradimensional data transmission functionality!" his eyes glowed, "My will shall use these things to bring forth a new world!" Before anyone else could call out for him to stop, Suedou walked straight into the Eater and incorporated himself into the fearsome creature.

"Suedou-san!" Takumi cried out as around him the Digital Waves became even more unstable. The nausea that hit him was crippling but he forced himself to watch as the Mother Eater rose up. The boy's blue eyes widened when the creature began to expand as it evolved into a more powerful form. He flinched as the Mother Eater flapped its new shining wings and flexed its four monstrous arms.

"Whoa, this ain't good!" Nokia exclaimed as she stared at it in fear.

"Well, just listen to you!" Arata smirked as he slipped his hands into his pockets.

"Takumi!" Yuuko urgently turned to the Cyber Sleuth. "Can you pull Suedou back from the brink?"

"Oh, I see!" Nokia grinned as she looked over at the other redhead. "Way to go, Yuuko-chi! Good thinking. Good thinking, and to the point too."

"Well, of course I can," Takumi nodded as took an unsteady step forward. He grit his teeth and tried to lift his right arm up. He tensed up though as his breathing hitched.

"You should quit now while you can," Suedou spoke to him from within the Mother Eater body.

"Ngh!" Takumi collapsed to a knee and frowned at himself. His body flickered again as he tried to catch his breath.

"Takumi!?" Nokia worriedly gasped.

"N-no w-worries…!" Takumi tried to reassure his friends behind him. He didn't have to turn around to know they were all staring at him in concern. "I-I… I can still…!" he winced as his chest stung.

"Your half-cyber body is unstable," Suedou told the stubborn teen, "and has deteriorated from repeated Eater contact. The earlier Connect Jump to Yuugo exposed you to serious damage, I believe. You knew the consequences yet still did so anyways…"

"That can't be," Yuuko frowned at her reckless friend. "Takumi…"

"I-I'm fine…!" Takumi gasped as he tried to reassure her that he could still succeed. He grunted as he willed his body to get back up. "I… c-can… d-definitely… C-connect Jump… again…!" he stated in determination.

"The next contact will be all it takes to bug your comprising data, destroy it, and erase it," Suedou warned him.

Knowing the man was right, Takumi fell back down. "Ngh…!"

Alphamon narrowed her gaze on the Mother Eater. "That was all part of the plan."

"Tch!" Arata glared at the black and white monster. "This is why we can't trust adults!" He called out to Takumi who was still trying to get up. "Stop, Takumi! Don't risk it!"

"That's right!" Nokia cried. "If we lose you, another big traumatic event will occur! Right?" She frowned as she didn't want to lose another friend. "We… we wouldn't be able to recover from that…" She shook her head as she continued to berate Takumi. "And besides, we promised we'd all come home together, the five of us! Do you hear me, jerkface!?"

"Yes, exactly," Yuuko nodded. "Nokia-san's right." She brought her hand up to her mouth as she worriedly frowned at the panting teenager. "Without the five of us, the mission is a failure." She glared at Takumi as she hoped he understood their collective desire to keep him safe. "I hate failure. I can't deal with it. So please, don't do this, Takumi."

Takumi knit his eyebrows together as he understood, but he couldn't just allow Suedou remain in the Mother Eater. "What should I…?" He closed his eyes and scrunched up his face as he struggled to choose between his desires to fix everything he caused or return to his friends. He grabbed his aching head and screamed in frustration over what to do.

"Takumi!" Yuuko and Nokia cried out to him.

Arata nervously backed away from the girls. "Whaddya think, Yuugo?" the oldest boy asked him. "Think you can follow up the ladies' moment in the spotlight?"

"Oh, oh dear…" Yuugo frowned at how riled up the girls were in wanting to protect Takumi. "Yuuko and Nokia… You guys…" He nervously shook his head. "What can I even say…?" He knit his eyebrows together as he also understood Takumi's difficult position. "Like seriously!"

"I got it!" Arata crossed his arms and nodded. "I understand your confusion!" He grinned at his best friend. "There's my bud! I'm glad you're making sense. I'm gonna start sprouting tears of joy here!"

Yuugo let out a weak laugh as both girls began glaring at Arata for ignoring Takumi's situation. "Arata… Maybe you should save this for later…"

The Mother Eater looked down at them as Suedou spoke. "At last, I can rebuild the world… I can finally eliminate everything that is crooked, ugly, or sad!" he exclaimed as he rose up to his full height, towering over them with his deformed body.

Nokia crookedly grinned as she looked up at the ugly creature. "What are you going to do about that?" she asked.

Alphamon helped pick her assistant up from the ground and set him down on his feet. "The new world that Suedou desires… That too is one of the choices the future holds," she nodded to the red-haired boy. "He may likely save all worlds. I feel Yggdrasil's presence and will within him. Yggdrasil would join forces to create a perfect world beyond even our Digital World. There would be many changes… The evolution he speaks of, forced onto the world, would bring with it creation as well. My role could be to watch over this conclusion," she told Takumi. "But… What do you all think? What do you want me to do?"

"Alphamon…" Takumi frowned at her for leaving such an important decision to him and his friends. The Cyber Sleuth struggled to turn to face everyone else behind him. "Everyone…"

Yuugo wore a determined frown. "We have to stop Suedou!"

Yuuko agreed with her brother. "To live in a world made by a madman would be unpleasant, to put it lightly."

"Yeah," Arata nodded, "Let's take the fight to him! We can do it!"

"Yeah, it'll work out!" Nokia exclaimed before looking up at her partner. "Right, Omegamon?" The white Royal Knight nodded to his black counterpart.

"I see," Alphamon nodded back before looking down at her assistant. "All right, let me ask you one last time. What are _you_ going to do?"

Thinking back to the last time he had been asked such a similar question, Takumi stared at his friends and they all nodded to him. The Cyber Sleuth nodded back in understanding before closing his eyes and taking a deep. When he finally opened them again, he brought his right fist up to his chest and turned to face Alphamon. "Doggedly and with all our might, we'll exhibit endurance like hard black iron!" He smiled up at his boss. "Because… we have nothing to lose together!"

Alphamon proudly nodded at his firm resolve. She turned to face the Mother Eater alongside the rest of Takumi's Digimon. "Judgment has been passed. Human children, bow to my will!"

Everyone prepared for battle as Takumi led their assault. "We absolutely won't give up!" he roared as all ten of his Digimon and Alphamon rushed forward.

"Holy Sword Gradalpha!" the legendary Royal Knight slashed at one of the great arms looming over them.

"Burst Shot!" SaintGalgomon haphazardly fired at the arms and core.

"Garuru Cannon!"

Takumi quickly retreated as the brigade of Digimon continued their assault. He got down onto a knee as he studied the battle for the most efficient way to win. The Cyber Sleuth frowned as his half-cyber body was deteriorating more rapidly than he expected. Usually, he could just glance at the battle and obtain all of the information from his Digivice in an instant. Now with his body rebelling against him, he had no choice but slip on his goggles to manually retrieve the data himself. His blue eyes scanned the Mother Eater's left and right arm before he focused on the Core. "It's not really attacking," he noticed.

"I noticed that too," Yuugo nodded as he also knelt at his side. "Every time the core lights up, the arms seemed to be strengthened. We should get rid of that first."

Takumi shook his head. "It'll be difficult to reach with both arms active." He frowned as he threw a poison recovery patch towards Mugendramon. "Logon onto its right arm!" he called out.

The mechanical dragon roared as his eyes lit up. "Mugen Cannon!"

Yuugo nodded as the arm suddenly stopped moving. "Everyone, now's our chance! Aim for the Core!"

"Digitalize of Soul!"

"Catastrophe Cannon!"

"Phosphorous Fire Attack!"

The left arm tried to swat away Takumi and Yuugo, but both boys were immediately protected by Mugendramon. The Ultimate Virus roared as he released his limiters and pushed against the giant arm with all his might. "Catastrophe D!"

"Alright, Mugendramon!" Takumi rose up to pat his Digimon's head but paused when the Machine Digimon went to Yuugo instead. The Cyber Sleuth chuckled as he dismissed the loyal dragon from his team. "Well, I guess it's time I returned you to your proper owner."

Yuugo chuckled as he fondly patted Mugendramon. "Let's keep going then," he nodded. His eyes widened as he noticed the Mother Eater raising its right fist. As it came down, Yuugo rushed forward and quickly hacked a protective shield to defend them. "Eater!" He winced as he was knocked back into the air, but he couldn't allow himself to rest as it raised its left arm up. "I know, Eaters," he grit his teeth, "I'm weak, aren't I? My strength alone wasn't enough to stop you… But this time… I have friends!" the raven-haired boy exclaimed, looking down at Takumi, Yuuko, and the others. "Now I will win!" Takumi's aerial Digimon soared upwards to help him as the boy quickly hacked the platform they were standing on to rise. "We can stop you!"

"Yuugo!" Takumi winced as he accessed the Eater network too to speed up the process. His body began to crackle from the stress, but he forced himself to keep going. "Suedou-san…! We'll show you our limitless evolution!"

"Everyone!" Yuugo cried out. "Now!"

"Xros Combo!" Takumi screamed.

"Grey Sword!"

"Phosphorous Fire Attack!"

"Catastrophe Cannon!"

"Mugen Cannon!"

"Digitalize of Soul!"

"Burst Shot!"

"Dark Roar!"

"Ankoku no Gaia Force!"

"Blizzard Wolf Claw!"

"Destroyed Crash!"

"Infinity Arrow!"

"Chaos Shot!"

"Forbidden Temptation!"

"Spiral Sword!"

The Mother Eater winced as all of the attacks landed. "Vanquish Drive!" The beast unleashed an area-wide attack that tired out the Digimon, but the brigade of fighters continued to rise and attack it. Its right wing began to glow though as it began repairing itself while the left wing managed to bug all of the Digimon.

Arata smirked though as bugging didn't really bother his and Diablomon's Free nature. "Use Multiply and follow up with Paradise Lost!" Diablomon laughed as he made multiple copies of himself to surround the Mother Eater before unleashing a giant explosion from his chest. The copies disappeared as they couldn't be maintained for long, but the damage was done.

"That's our Geeta!" Nokia smirked as Takumi debugged all of the Digimon. "Omegamon! Time to go all out!"

The white Royal Knight slammed both his arms into the ground, unleashing wave upon wave of fire and ice. "Double Torrent!" While the left wing resisted the attack, the right wing suddenly became dull as it could no longer keep up its recovery functions.

"Onii-chan!" Yuuko nodded to her older brother. "Let's not fall behind either!"

Yuugo gently smiled at his sister before nodding. "Mugendramon! Logon!"

"Gaioumon! Gaia Reactor!"

"Mugen Cannon!"

The Mother Eater became engulfed by the massive explosion and when the smoke cleared, Takumi smirked as only the main body remained. "Alphamon!"

The black Royal Knight nodded as she charged forward with Takumi's Vaccine and Virus Digimon flanking her. "Holy Sword Gradalpha!"

"Copy Paste!" HiAndromon pulled out the metal baton on his back.

"Duke Charge!" ChaosDukemon roared as his Balmung glowed.

"Metal Wolf Claw!" MetalGarurumon (Black)'s wings trailed ice as he prepared to ram into the Mother Eater's main body.

BlackWarGreymon began to spin at a high frequency as he intended to drill through their opponent. "Black Tornado!"

"Demon Stab!"

"Saint Tackle!"

Their enemy reeled backwards before knocking them away with an area attack. Takumi frowned as be began relaying new orders to his team while his Data Digimon ran around to support the others and repair any damage they sustained. "BlackWarGreymon! Combine your Black Storm Tornado with as many of the others' attacks as possible! SaintGalgomon! Cover him with your Burst Shot! SaberLeomon! Pull Rosemon out of the frontlines! GrandLocomon, come with me!" He quickly grabbed onto the powerful train as it whizzed by him and had the Digimon quickly circle the battlefield as he passed out recovery items to his friends.

"Catastrophe Cannon!" Diablomon fired a barrage of energy from his chest after Arata replenished his stamina.

The Jude hacker nodded to Takumi in thanks as the younger boy tossed him a few more patches. "Jeez, I just went through my entire supply. I hope you have enough for everyone to keep going, Takumi."

"Don't worry," the redhead reassured him as he refitted his goggles onto his face. "I tend to carry a lot of extras." He spotted the Mother Eater about to swing its arm towards Yuuko and Nokia so quickly retreated into the safety of the GrandLocomon's cabin. "Full steam ahead!" he ordered his Digimon.

"Limited Express Attack!" The train became a blazing meteor as he rammed his entire body against the arm.

"Takumi!" Nokia cried as GrandLocomon flipped over.

The Cyber Sleuth cried out as his Digimon steadied himself. "GrandLocomon!" The blue-eyed boy quickly applied another recovery patch on the train before tensing up as he sensed the atmosphere change a bit. "Huh!?"

"Restart!" Suedou exclaimed as both the wings of the Mother Eater reactivated again. Both appendages glowed as they tried to quickly take out the Cyber Sleuth and GrandLocomon.

"Takumi!" Yuuko called out to him. "Look out!"

Both BlackWarGreymon and ChaosDukemon hurried to defend him from the heavy blasts. "Brave Shield!"

"Judecca Prison!" the dark knight blocked the incoming attacks with his Gorgon and immediately retaliated by sending out a corrosive beam from his shield. The rest of Takumi's Digimon returned to their tamer to support GrandLocomon.

Seeing as all of the Cyber Sleuth's Digimon were in one place, Suedou called out another area attack, crushing them to the ground. "Vanquish Drive!" When the Digimon refused to stay down, the Mother Eater crossed its arms as the man controlling the beast chuckled. "World Restart!"

"Everyone!" Takumi shouted as his team was only just barely hanging on. He struggled to dig through his pouch for a spray and quickly applied to his Digimon. His blue eyes widened though when it didn't seem to have any effect. "N-no…!" He tensed up as he sensed the Mother Eater raising a fist against him. Without his Digimon able to protect him, the Cyber Sleuth was a sitting duck.

"Takumi!" his friends cried out but they froze as a black-armored Digimon quickly intercepted the attack.

"Holy Sword Gradalpha!" Alphamon shouted as she brought her blade up to defend her assistant. She pushed back against the Mother Eater with all her might.

"World Restart!" Suedou called out again, engulfing the legendary Royal Knight in a large explosion. When the smoke cleared, Alphamon was down on a knee, trying to regain her breath.

"ALPHAMON!" Takumi screamed as he sprinted towards her.

The Mother Eater tried to swat her away, but Omegamon quickly intercepted the monstrous creature's arm. "Grey Sword!"

"Mugendramon! Catastrophe D!" Yuugo called out to his mechanical dragon to support the white knight.

"Takumi! It's dangerous to get too close!" Arata called out to the panicked boy. "Hurry up and retreat already!"

Takumi ignored everything around him in order to reach his boss. "Alphamon!" He fumbled with various recovery patches in his bag as he searched for something suitable to use. "H-hang in there! P-please…!" His hands shook as he tried everything he could, but there was nothing in his supplies that could repair her corroding data. He knew this for a fact as her state was too similar to his own destabilizing body. "N-no," he shook his head as he tried to use another recovery patch to no avail. "I… I did it again… Because of me… I'm going to lose someone important!" The Cyber Sleuth dropped to his knees and began to cry.

Alphamon studied him for a while before placing a hand on his bowed head. "Takumi," she gently spoke to him, "have you given up?"

"There's nothing else I can do!" He clenched his fists. "This all happened because of me anyway! It's always… my fault…" He brought gloved hand up and pulled off his goggles. "Everyone is always in danger because of me," he stated. "And every time I try to fix things, everything only gets worse!"

"Do you truly believe that?" Alphamon asked him, resulting in his tears to stop. "For the past year, you've worked as my assistant. How many cases have you taken during that time? How many were you able to resolve without fail?" Takumi frowned to himself as he couldn't really answer that considering he lost count of the various jobs he tackled. "And look around," the Digimon directed him before glancing over at his friends.

"Diablomon!" Arata clenched his teeth. "System Fail!" His Digimon wrapped himself in a green sphere of energy to block and attack before blasting the shield away.

"Omegamon!" Nokia pointed at the Mother Eater. "Double Torrent!"

Yuuko brought her fists up. "Gaioumon! Gaia Reactor!"

"Logon, Mugendramon!" Yuugo knit his eyebrows together and frowned. "Mugen Cannon!"

Takumi watched as the four of them continued to fight. "Everyone…"

"Who was it that showed them the resolve to fight?" Alphamon reminded the boy. "The one person who showed them the correct path to take to further their evolution? Even if this all stemmed from your past mistake, who was it that decided to journey all the way here to correct it, regardless of the consequences?"

The Cyber Sleuth clenched his fist around his Digivice. "That was all me…"

The Digimon nodded at him. "Now, stand up, Takumi," she helped pull him up. "It's time you rejoined the others in battle."

"But my team…" Takumi turned back to face his fallen Digimon but gasped as they all rose again. "Y-you guys…" he knit his eyebrows together. "You're all completely glitched… I can't let you fight like this…" He tensed up as Alphamon rose to her feet. "Alphamon, stop! If you continue to fight, you'll all—"

"I have an obligation to fulfill," the Royal Knight told him. "I have been tasked to preserve Yggdrasil's will, but now I currently stand in opposition of Yggdrasil. This is because I chose to believe in what I thought to be a stronger will. A nobler one," she nodded to the boy, "A will belonging to that of an irregular, even amongst irregulars. It is a powerful will that believes in the limitless possibilities of the future's evolution."

"Evolution…" Takumi's blue eyes widened as he stared at his gloved hand before putting on his goggles over his eyes once more. "That's right! I need to evolve even further!" He glanced at his team and knit his eyebrows together in determination. "You all really want to fight, don't you?" He chuckled as they nodded to him. "Yeah, I understand… We've been through so much together, haven't we? I even raised most of you from the Child level all the way up to Ultimate…" he closed his eyes and fondly recalled his time as a Cyber Sleuth, "But there has to be a level beyond even that!" he exclaimed as he held up his right hand towards them. "Let's discover it together!"

"Mugendramon, Catastrophe D!" Yuugo frowned as it wasn't enough since the Mother Eater repaired its wings yet again. "We need to focus on the main body, yet the wings keep getting in the way. Even if we take out the wings, they'll just eventually repair themselves!" He shook his head. "With only four Digimon, we can't keep up with its recovery speed!"

"But it's not like Takumi's team is in any condition to keep going!" Arata stated. He grit his teeth together as Diablomon managed to avoid a blast of energy coming from the left wing. "It'd be better if Kyoko-san was still able to fight, but at least we still have Omegamon."

"Even so," Nokia frowned, "Omegamon's getting tired… If this keeps up, he'll definitely go back into being Agumon and Gabumon!"

"I'm sorry, Nokia," Omegamon gasped as he landed on the ground.

"No, it's not your fault!" the girl shook her head. "Everything will work out!" she cried out in the hopes another miracle will arrive. "We have to make it work!"

Yuuko let out a tired sigh as Gaioumon fired a beam of light from his swords. "Okay, its left wing is down!"

"So is its right!" Arata nodded as Diablomon cracked the other wing with his Catastrophe Cannon. "Let's hurry up and take down the main body before they restart again!"

"Vanquish Drive!"

The four teenagers winced as the Mother Eater sapped even more of their Digimon's strength. Nokia cried out as it began crossing its arms again. "Uh-oh! It's that one attack!"

"Everyone, get back before you get glitched!" Yuugo called for a retreat.

"World Restart!"

"MetalGarurumon (Black)! BlackWarGreymon!" Takumi sent his two loyal Virus Digimon forward to defend his friends. "Go!"

"Brave Shield!"

"Blizzard Wolf Claw!"

"Takumi!" Yuuko turned towards the Cyber Sleuth, wondering why he would recklessly send his Digmon forward like that, but she paused as he was holding his right arm out. His glove glowed as he seemed to be hacking something. "Eh!? What are you…?"

The red-haired boy winced as his body flickered a little, but he ignored the pain as he cried out to both his bugged Digimon caught in the explosion. "Jogress!"

As the smoke cleared, a powerful warrior with a flowing black mantle fired a powerful blast from his fractured arm cannon. "Garuru Cannon!"

Omegamon's eyes widened at the sight. "What!?"

Nokia tensed up at the heavily bandaged black Digimon that appeared. "Huh!?" She glared at Takumi. "What, what, what!? What sort of Digimon is that!?"

"Omegamon Zwart D!" Takumi shouted. "Double Torrent!"

Arata smirked at the new Digimon's devastating power. "Well, would you look at that? He's even stronger than Omegamon!"

"As if!" Nokia cried out. "Omegamon! Show everyone who the better Omegamon is!"

"Okay!" the white Royal Knight nodded before he took off to help his dark counterpart. "Grey Sword!"

Yuugo curiously looked towards Takumi and smiled. "He really is on a whole other level when it comes to hacking. It's extremely risky to tamper with a Digimon's data, but he understands his team so well that they're willing to entrust him with their lives."

Yuuko watched as Rosemon, SaintGalgomon, and HiAndromon lined up behind the boy. "Those are…!"

"You three were my first Digimon," Takumi stated with his eyes closed. "You've always been at my side, supporting me and balancing each other. SaintGalgomon, HiAndromon! I'm sending your data to Rosemon now!" he cried out as he altered them. "Burst Mode!"

SaintGalgomon and HiAndromon nodded as they gave Rosemon all of their power. The Fairy Digimon rose into the air as her white petal cape turned into a pink mantle of energy. Her red rose headdress became white as her whip elongated. She snapped her weapon towards the Mother Eater before blowing a kiss at her opponent. "Aguichant Lèvres!" Hearts surrounded the giant creature and they began to overwhelm the Mother Eater with lasers.

Yuuko smiled at the new evolution Takumi formed from the three Digimon she had initially given him. "You really have come a long way from when I first introduced you to your Digimon. It's a bit strange to see you surpass even me and Gaioumon…" She clenched her fists as she wasn't about to let it remain that way for long. "Let's go too, Gaioumon!" she cried out to her partner.

"Gaia Reactor!" the samurai-like Dragon Man roared as he detonated a condensed ball of atmospheric energy.

Takumi smirked as the battle was beginning to swing in their favor. "We have to… keep going…!" The Cyber Sleuth nearly faltered but Darkdramon quickly supported the boy. The red-haired boy gratefully smiled at the Digimon that had been created specifically to be a weapons-grade laser. "Ever since I saved you, you've done well to prove you're not just a weapon. Now, let's go! Darkdramon! SaberLeomon!" He altered his yellow lion's data, causing the Digimon to revert into GrappuLeomon. Takumi groaned as his body flickered again, but he ignored the pain as he continued altering the data in front of him so GrappuLeomon could evolve into BanchoLeomon. "Okay, now! Jogress!"

The resultant Digimon resembled Omegamon in that both its arms were made up of its previous evolutions. The lion-shaped head on its right arm carried a powerful blade while its Darkdra Arm converted the Gigastick Lance into a cannon. Its shared body was teal but the frame appeared thin and fragile. Over all, the Digimon seemed unstable but Takumi quickly used his own data to help support his new Digimon.

Arata scanned the new evolution and his eyes widened at its power. "Chaosmon?" He knit his eyebrows together as he noticed how buggy it was. "What a monster…" The raven-haired hacker shook his head and chuckled though as he looked over towards Takumi. "But considering the Digimon's monster of a hacker, it makes sense…"

Chaosmon aimed his Darkdra Arm and fired at the Mother Eater. "Dark Prominence!"

The veteran hacker worriedly frowned as he noticed Chaosmon seemed to using his own digital cells as ammunition. "Tch, they're both pretty reckless too. Diablomon! Cover Chaosmon, will you!?"

"Paradise Lost!" the Unknown Digimon unleashed a large explosion from his chest before quickly getting to Chaosmon's side.

After three evolutions, Takumi was now panting heavily. "One more…" he clenched his teeth together. "This is the final evolution! ChaosDukemon! GrandLocomon! Let's go!" He let out a painful cry as both Digimon devolved into their Child forms, V-mon and Wormmon. Takumi then worked on evolving them back into Adults. "XV-mon! Stingmon! Jogress!" The Cyber Sleuth's body flickered some more but he had to keep going as the Perfect Paildramon wasn't enough. "Evolve… We have to evolve!"

"Takumi!" Yuugo quickly accessed the network the blue-eyed boy was using to hack his Digimon. "Let me help! At this rate, you won't be able to last the rest of the battle! Besides, you'll need a lot of power to evolve Paildramon twice!"

"Thanks, Yuugo…" the younger boy nodded and smiled. "Paildramon! Let's go!" Paildramon's body glowed as he evolved into a massive dragon wearing black armor. With the added boost in data from Yuugo, the dragon roared as his body changed so that he was able to stand on two feet. Takumi let out a fierce shout as he had his final Digimon rush forward. "Go, Imperialdramon Fighter Mode!"

"Mugendramon, logon!" Yuugo commanded his Digimon.

The Ancient Dragon Man Digimon raised his right arm at the Mother Eater and charged his weapon. "Positron Laser!"

The Digital World's most powerful machine's eyes lit up as he too fired his cannons. "Mugen Cannon!"

Takumi triumphantly laughed as his four Digimon returned to him. "Alright, everyone! This is it!" The Cyber Sleuth stood tall as Omegamon Zwart D, Rosemon Burst Mode, Chaosmon, and Imperialdramon Fighter Mode lined up in a semi-circle behind him.

Nokia smirked at her best friend as Omegamon was at her side. "That's my favorite Cyber Sleuth for you! Nothing ever keeps him down!"

Arata slipped his hands into his pockets with Diablomon landing next to him. "We're ready when you are, Takumi!"

Yuuko clenched her fists and nodded as Gaioumon crossed his glowing blades. "We'll win this together!"

"That's right," Yuugo smiled as Mugendramon began charging his cannons, "because we're all here at your side!"

"Takumi," Alphamon stood directly behind her assistant despite her injuries. "It's time to finish this!"

The red-haired Cyber Sleuth raised his right arm into the air. "Xros Combo!"

Omegamon swung his sword with as much force as he could. "Grey Sword!"

"Catastrophe Cannon!" Diablomon's green sphere in his chest glowed as he fired off multiple blasts of energy from it.

Gaioumon charged his swords with energy before letting out a fierce shout. "Phosphorous Fire Attack!"

Mugendramon's eyes lit up as he let out a creaking roar. "Mugen Cannon!"

"Tifaret!" Rosemon Burst Mode barraged the Mother Eater with multiple glowing jewels.

"Garuru Cannon!" Omegamon Zwart D charged up his blaster to its maximum level.

Chaosmon placed his BAN-TYO Blade into the jaws of his Darkdra Arm before firing a strange beam from his Gigastick Cannon. "End of Paradox!"

Imperialdramon Fighter Mode fixed his Positron Laser into his dragon-faced chest plate before firing it. "Giga Death!"

Alphamon held out her right arm and used her remaining strength to summon a magic circle of Digimoji. "Digitalize of Soul!" Multiple beams of energy fired out from the seal as she focused on ending the battle.

Takumi let out a roar as his glove began glow again. As soon as his Digimon finished their attacks, they nodded as they condensed into shining orb of data to be sent to Alphamon's magic circle. He winced as his body flickered again and his goggle lenses cracked but he concentrated all his efforts into his final hacking operation. "This is it! Alphamon Ouryuken!"

The regal knight narrowed her eyes as her seal expanded and she quickly pulled out the heavy axe-like blade from the seal. As soon as she touched the weapon, she charged through the magic circle, rushing towards the Mother Eater. While passing through the seal, her data quickly began to repair itself and change thanks to Takumi's modifications. Her blue mantle billowed behind her as she spread out her golden wings. "Ultimate Battle Blade Ouryuken!"

The legendary Royal Knight returned to Takumi's side as the two watched the Mother Eater writhe in pain before slumping over in defeat. The detective and her assistant shared a triumphant smile as the other teens took a moment to let it sink in that they won.

Finally, Nokia was the first to cry out. "Excellent!" she cheered with a bright smirk on her face.

"But Suedou is still inside the Mother Eater," Yuuko knit her eyebrows together. "What shall we do?"

"Well, should we lock him up in here for now?" Arata suggested.

"It's not a perfect solution," Yuugo mused, "but for the time being, it's our best course of action."

"Well, then," Nokia nodded, "let's get help from the Royal Knights and the other Digimon!"

"Right," Arata smirked as he slipped his hands into his pockets. "We'll take care of this giant thing by ourselves. Maybe we can make it happen, but the odds sure are stacked against us…"

 _You guys…_ Takumi gently smiled at his friends as they continued discussing their next move. After pushing his goggles up, he looked down at his gloved hand. His fingers weakly trembled as he barely had the strength to stabilize his own data anymore. Closing his eyes, he took in a deep breath and curled his hand into a fist before making up his mind of what he had to do. _Thanks for everything, everyone…_ he thought as he quickly took off past them and towards the defeated Mother Eater.

Arata's eyes widened as he spotted Takumi running. "Oh! Hey!"

"Takumi…" Nokia glared at the thin boy's back. "No, you're not going to—!"

Takumi didn't say anything he raised his arm up towards the monstrous creature, resulting in Arata scolding him. "You idiot! I told you not to!"

"Suedou said your body couldn't take it, didn't he?" Nokia asked.

"Alphamon!" Yuuko turned to the only person the Cyber Sleuth would listen to. "Stop Takumi! We've got to do something!" she desperately cried out. "K-kyoko-san!"

Alphamon looked up from the four teens before her towards the boy who was her assistant. Takumi turned his head back towards the Digimon and the Royal Knight saw in his eyes the burning resolve he had to see this through. Alphamon shook her head at Yuuko and the others before calling out to Takumi. "Go, Cyber Sleuth! Find the truth that only you can!"

"Understood!" Takumi cried out with a nod as he performed what could very well be his last Connect Jump. _And thank you… for understanding…_

Arata tried to reach out to the younger boy and pull him back but he just barely missed. "Wh-what is Takumi doing!?"

"No!" Nokia let out a shaky breath as she clasped her hands over her heart. "Why? We said not to!"

"Oh no!" Yuuko knit her eyebrows together.

The three teens looked up towards Alphamon in confusion as to why she didn't stop him. "Let's see Takumi's decision though," the black Royal Knight spoke to them in a calm manner as she placed all of her faith into her assistant, "However it happens to turn out."

* * *

Takumi slowly drifted through the Eater network before coming to a stop. He looked around the swirling darkness around him to search for Suedou, but was soon forced to get down to a knee. He groaned in pain as his body flickered a few times. The redhead was using all of his energy to keep himself together but he still didn't allow himself to give up. He would find Suedou if it was the last thing he did.

"Su… Suedou-san!" he called out into the darkness as he panted.

To the boy's surprise, the man actually responded to his call. "My goodness! You've come to my rescue, too?"

"O-of c-course!" the boy gasped.

"You ignored my warnings? And wound up in such a wretched form?" Suedou sighed. "Such a waste of effort. I have been fully assimilated by the Mother Eater."

"E-even… s-so…"

"You're not like Arata or Yuuko-san or Yuugo-kun," Suedou mused.

"N-no… I-I'm… n-not…" Takumi opened his eyes and forced himself to head further into the network.

"You'll never find me," the man tried to dissuade him from continuing. If the boy left now, he still had a chance to survive. Suedou knew Takumi understood that yet the red-haired boy ignored any such thoughts of returning alone. "You're wasting your time. And even if you do find me… I won't go back. I would sooner disappear than not allow sadness to vanish from all possible worlds."

"Is our world… really that bad...?" Takumi asked him. "B-because… I don't think it is… Suedou-san. Even if it is… painful… sometimes…"

"I find it hard to comprehend why you would choose a world where sadness is so widespread." Suedou took a moment to study the boy travelling through the network. "You're the same way. In doing this, you bring sadness to Arata-kun and the others."

"I… know…" Takumi frowned but he continued forward anyway. "I know… but I won't go back. Not yet…"

"It's so strange. There's no logic to it." Suedou tried to understand the Cyber Sleuth. "What will change if you rescue me? Who will be happier for it? Do you have a satisfactory answer for me?"

Takumi remained silent as he stopped travelling through the network and brought his hand up to his mouth. He closed his eyes to think it over very carefully. After a while, a small smile appeared on his face. "I don't want to leave anyone behind…"

"But that's just your ego talking, surely?"

"Yeah, it is my ego," Takumi's smile grew as he lifted his head up. "So what? I made a promise."

"This is rather ominous… I am confused," Suedou admitted to him. "Even with all of Yggdrasil's calculating power, I cannot derive an answer for you…"

"Is that so?" the boy lightly chuckled, despite his weakening state. "Instead of using logic against me, why not resort to what essentially makes us human?"

"What…?" Suedou pondered what the boy could be referring to. "What's this? What, what, what!?" Running another calculation, he began to understand what it was that set Takumi and him apart. "Is that so? Is that what it was?" Suedou laughed at the answer he just discovered. "It just hit me!" the scientist exclaimed. "I finally understand! 'God does not play dice with the universe!' All of you were the dice this whole time! Can you bet on dice that have wills of their own?"

Takumi chuckled at that. "It's not so much as 'betting' as it is 'believing'… I wouldn't be here otherwise," he fondly smiled as he thought of the Digimon who pushed him to come, despite the risks.

"I see… I see!" Suedou nodded. "In this way, multiple universes are formed through infinitely branching space-time! A waste, meaningless and without value…" Takumi frowned at that but remained silent so the man could continue his rant. "After all, what was defined as a fluctuation cannot exceed the perspective of the observer!" He nodded to himself. "I understand. Awareness at a single temporal point causes realities to combine. Hmm?" He paused for a moment as he further considered the world Takumi seemed to believe in. "Hang on though. Please wait a moment. Please wait a moment. Please wait. That seems to be a logical leap, no?"

"Logic, emotion… Fate, luck… Does it really matter?" Takumi asked with a laugh. He winced though as his body began to act up again. He got down to a knee and groaned. "Ngh…" he shook his head as he could no longer keep up his avatar's appearance so reverted into a mass of flickering blue data.

"Oh my, that won't do," Suedou stated. "We can't have you disappear here now." The man finally materialized himself in front of Takumi, helping to stabilize the boy's form.

"Suedou-san…" Takumi looked up at the scientist.

"You shall validate my new theory," the man nodded to him, "As one of my precious dice. I'll call it the 'Theory Proving the Existence of God who Creates Dice Tossed by a God of Dice'!" he brightly smiled at the boy. "And to prove this theory, I must disappear, along with the Eaters!"

"You can't!" Takumi exclaimed in alarm. "I won't let you!"

Suedou smiled at the kind-hearted boy. "Our existence is too unique and overpowering," he tried to explain. "We will throw off the results of the equation."

"But such random variables are also a part of chance and dice throwing, isn't it?" the redhead asked. "I understand removing the Eaters but—"

The man chuckled as Takumi was exactly the type of person he had thought the boy to be. "The Eaters will simply return to their original role. To the form they should have had, before they were corrupted by the digital world we created," he nodded. "A higher dimension extending over countless parallel worlds, including both ours and the Digital World. The Eaters exist in regions we cannot and must never access," he seriously stated. "These higher dimensions are beyond our capacity to even imagine," he levelly stared into Takumi's eyes.

"Even for the two of us?" Takumi knit his eyebrows together.

"They comprise part of a vast system that could be called the Great Intent or the Works of the Gods," Suedou explained. "The Eaters were manifested through contact with our data, in our dimension, and took on its form and substance."

The boy brought a hand up to his mouth. "I see…"

"The results were as you have seen," the scientist nodded. "Whether this effect was by chance or predestined, I cannot say. Only the gods know for sure," he shrugged. "Even if I were to ask Yggdrasil… I don't know if Yggdrasil even has a gender, but 'his' calculations do not confirm the existence of any godly entities. However, his calculations are still ongoing, so who knows what the ultimate answer will be?"

Takumi wryly smiled at that. "Such an answer would take an eternity to calculate, so we might as well discover it on our own for ourselves."

Suedou chuckled at the boy's persistence in trying to pull him out of the Mother Eater. "In any case, I shall require Yggdrasil's help in order to 'reformat' all the Eaters that have connected to me."

"You really won't return with me…?" Takumi sadly lowered his gaze. "In that case, let me do it instead! I can definitely get rid of all the Eaters."

The scientist shook his head at the boy. "We cannot remove them from every dimension, nor is there any reason to do so. The possibility of a similar event recurring in your future is one is 8192 to the 20th power. So please," he smiled at the redhead, "don't worry about it."

"Suedou-san!" Takumi shook his head. "I can't just let you—"

"If my calculations are correct," the adult nodded to himself, "your universe will cease to exist before that ever comes to pass. So you can live and die free from the Eaters… Oh," he smirked at the boy, "and be born again, to prove my theory!"

"Suedou-san!" the Cyber Sleuth glared at the man as tears filled his eyes. "If you disappear, how am I supposed to repay you for back then!?" he angrily asked out of desperation. "I'm not leaving without you!"

The man wryly smiled as it would seem as though he and Takumi would never be able to agree on anything, even if they did understand each other. The scientist chuckled as perhaps this was for the best. "I won't give you a choice in the matter! This is just my ego talking," he nodded to the boy beginning to cry.

"Suedou-san…"

"I shall therefore take my leave of you now," Suedou stated as he stepped away from the Cyber Sleuth. "If you are so inclined, maybe we shall meet again!"

"Suedou-san!" Takumi called out after the man turning away from him. He tried to chase him but the boy felt his body becoming more and more unstable. It was as though his limbs were heavy lead and Takumi found himself unable to move. Seeing as the redhead couldn't leave on his own, Suedou quickly kicked Takumi out of the network before the boy's data could corrode even further. The Cyber Sleuth absently stared into space as he took a few steps away from the Mother Eater behind him. He ended up collapsing to a knee though as his body flickered. "Ngh!" he groaned as he quickly pulled himself together.

Nokia let out a surprised yell as she spotted Takumi.

"Takumi!" Yuuko gasped.

"You…" Arata stared at the younger boy with wide eyes, "made it back?"

"Takumi made it back!?" Nokia asked, hoping it wasn't just a trick. "For reals?" They all ran towards their youngest friend and Arata carefully supported him before Nokia began scolding the reckless Cyber Sleuth. "What the hell did you think you were doing!? You… idiot! You stupid jerkface!"

"Listen, you!" Arata sternly frowned at him. "There's only so much crazy stuff we're gonna let you get away with!"

"What were the rest of us supposed to do if you didn't make it back?" Yuuko glared at him as tears threatened to spill from her eyes.

"S-sorry…" Takumi lowered his gaze.

Yuugo managed to put on a smile, knowing Takumi was back safe and sound. "But all's well that ends well," he pointed out to the others. "I'm still glad."

Arata chuckled at that before looking around. "And what about Suedou?"

"It… looks like he's gone," Yuuko noticed.

Takumi frowned to himself as he thought back to what he and Suedou discussed. "He… complained that he didn't want to go home and kept saying things that made no sense…" He remembered the serene smile on the man's face though as he finally understood what it was that Takumi saw in the world's infinite possibilities. "But… he seemed quite satisfied," the boy managed to put on a small grin.

"What's the deal with that?" Arata sighed. "I guess that's just like him though."

Omegamon tensed up as the Mother Eater began to glow. "Whoa… Whoa!" His eyes widened in surprise. "It's Yggdrasil's will!"

"Yggdrasil's normal functions have resumed," Alphamon stated, "and seems to be restoring the Digital World."

"Whoa, hey…" Arata readjusted his hold on Takumi. "Shouldn't we be leaving then?"

"Y-yes," Yuugo agreed. "We had better get out of here."

"Hmm…" Alphamon nodded, "A reasonable decision."

"Okay! Let's move!" Nokia declared before looking at the weakened Cyber Sleuth. "Are you okay, Takumi?"

Takumi chuckled as he pulled away from Arata. Everybody stared at him in surprise as the redhead was actually standing on his own. "Everyone," he nodded at them with a wide grin on his face, "let's go home."

* * *

As everyone reemerged in the Digital World, they were surprised by how lush and green the forests were. As the five humans took it all in, they smiled at each other at how nostalgic it all was. Alphamon and Omegamon stood behind them but soon, the white Royal Knight reverted back into his Agumon and Gabumon forms.

"This takes me back," Arata chuckled at his friends.

"Yeah!" Nokia nodded. "It's the Digital World as we saw it way back when!"

"Everything is… going back to normal…" Takumi wore a relieved smile as he suddenly felt the need to cry. "I'm so glad…!" he stated, bringing his arm up to wipe his tears.

Yuuko chuckled at how sensitive he was before looking up at the sky with a gasp. Glowing blue bits of data were zooming across the sky in dazzling patterns and she brought her hands up to her mouth as she admired the sight. "It's so beautiful."

"What's that?" Yuugo asked, placing a hand on his hip.

"It's the mental data preserved within the Eaters' network," Alphamon stated.

"All of that is?" Yuuko asked.

"Yes," the legendary Royal Knight nodded, "Yggdrasil is sending it back to your world."

"And that will heal EDEN Syndrome, right?" Arata eagerly asked.

"Heal…?" Alphamon shook her head. "That's not quite the right world, really, but something similar to that will likely occur, yes. A phenomenon you humans would call 'miraculous'," she smiled, looking over towards her assistant.

"Miraculous, huh?" Takumi sheepishly chuckled.

"I don't quite get it," Nokia shook her head, "But Yuugo-kun and Takumi will wake up!?"

"Hmph," Alphamon chuckled, "And therein lies the miracle."

Nokia and Yuuko both smiled at the boys with EDEN Syndrome. The raven-haired girl couldn't believe it as she tried her best not to cry. "O-onii-chan!"

"That's…" Nokia rubbed her eyes, "that's excellent!"

Yuugo and Takumi turned to each other and smiled. Yuugo nodded to the younger boy in thanks as the redhead began to blush from the gratitude his role model giving him. Takumi paused though as he spotted a glowing ball of light drifting around them. "Hm? That looks familiar…"

"Aaah!" Yuuko gasped.

"What is that!?" Arata asked.

"Wait, what's going on!?" Nokia grinned. "This is too adorbs!" she cried out as she tried chasing after it.

"This sphere is the Eater's original form," Alphamon stated.

"What?" Nokia stopped going after it and blinked at the floating ball before letting out a scream.

Takumi laughed at his best friend. "Relax, Nokia. It's completely harmless now," he reassured her. He paused though as the ball drifted towards him. The boy held up his right hand and watched as it landed in his palm. "Hello again… Eater…"

His friends stared at the redhead in surprise as he played with the ball. "Hey! Takumi!" Arata nervously knit his eyebrows together.

"It's alright," Takumi smiled. "It won't be like the last time when I corrupted it with my loneliness. I'm… stronger now," he nodded.

Yuuko shook her head as the ball engulfed the redhead's arm. "What is it doing?"

"That's how it scans, moving from one piece of data to the next," Alphamon nodded as Takumi carefully maneuvered the Eater to his other hand, "sending information to a higher dimension. It has no clear objective, but I have one theory. Things like St. Elmo's Fire, UFOs, strange orbs… These light-emitting bodies were maybe temporary visualizations of an Eater in a Digital Wave. What we take as the plasma phenomenon could be an Eater in its energy form transmitting information. It fits the behavior and first-hand accounts. This mystery circle form, impossible to recreate, is also one of the advanced or maybe low-level ideographic symbols used in their network and—"

"Stop, staaaaahp!" Nokia cried out as she was completely lost. Looking towards Arata and Yuuko, it looked like the two hacking legends were also confused by the sudden lecture.

"Oops…" Alphamon lowered her gaze at her assistant who had been intently listening. "Sorry. It's nearly time for Kuremi Kyoko's farewell. I just wanted to feel the rush of giving an info-dump one last time."

"Eh!?" Takumi quickly let go of the Eater. "F-farewell…?"

"What?" Nokia frowned.

Alphamon placed her hand on Takumi's head as the boy was beginning to cry again. "Or maybe I'm simply reluctant to part with you."

"Alphamon…" Takumi stared up at her as he did his best to keep himself together. He brought his arm up to wipe his face. "Right… I'm stronger than this. I already told you… that I would accept what would happen…" He took in a deep breath to calm down. "Even if we were to part… I'd see this through to the end… Isn't that right, Alphamon?" He wore a painful smile as the black Royal Knight proudly gave him a nod.

Yuuko sadly stared at the boy doing his best to remain strong. "By parting, you mean…"

"Yes, that's what I mean," Alphamon wryly smiled at them. "Yggdrasil will soon send you back to your world. In order to completely restore the Digital World, we must remove all foreign objects."

"Tch," Arata frowned as he slipped his hands into his pockets. "We're being treated like bugs…"

"Does Yggdrasil wish to restore the Digital World to the state it was in before we arrived?" Yuugo asked. "To the way it was more than eight years ago?"

"More than that?" Nokia knit her eyebrows together. "Hang on a sec… That means…" she turned to face Agumon and Gabumon. "Does this mean we'll have never met, then? That we're all gonna forget each other?"

"Perhaps," Agumon sadly lowered his gaze.

"That's… that's…!" Nokia shook her head as she couldn't accept that.

"But in that case, we can just meet again!" Gabumon smiled up at her.

"I'm certain everything will work out!" Agumon brightened up too and nodded in agreement.

Nokia stared at her Digimon for a while before nodding to them. "Yeah… right?" Soon she was able to smile again. "Everything will work out, one way or another!" She shook her head. "What I mean is, we'll make it work out!" she exclaimed.

Alphamon smiled at Nokia and the two Digimon before looking down at her assistant. She reluctantly removed her hand from his head and gave Takumi a nod. "Well, it seems it's almost time. We'll send you back and recall the Digimon. The door that has been opened will be closed."

"Right," Takumi nodded to her as he stepped backwards to rejoin his friends.

"This is farewell, human children!" Alphamon took a step back too, lest the two would be tempted to not part with each other. "The worlds will return to the way they should be," she stated, never taking her eyes off the boy. "A wide, accepting, and yet chaotic place… That's the world we live in," she smiled at the world Takumi believed in. "And the crazy, beautiful, loveable world that raised all of you, our friends… I hope the day comes when your children and we, the Digimon, can become friends once again."

"Until that day," Takumi smiled up at her, "goodbye… Alphamon…"

"And now this case is finally closed," Alphamon concluded with a nod.

"Yeah…" the boy grinned. The two exchanged nods with each other once more before Yggdrasil finally began to send them away. The Cyber Sleuth and his friends became encased in a translucent green sphere and it lifted them into the sky.

"Agumon! Gabumon!" Nokia smiled at them. "Thanks to you, we grew stronger!" She waved to them as they rose higher into the air. "Thank you! Bye-bye!"

"We will most assuredly meet again!" Gabumon cried out to her as he waved back.

"Buh-bye, everybody!" Agumon smiled at them.

Alphamon tightened her left hand's grip on the sword Takumi created for her as she waved at him with her right. Takumi brought his right fist to his heart and nodded to her. "We'll always be connected, Alphamon!" he cried out. "I'll always believe that! Thank you for everything!"

* * *

As the five teens followed the flow of the Digital Line connecting the Digital World to their world, they soon noticed the wave of Digimon rushing back to the Digital World. Nokia smiled at them and waved them off before Takumi let out an excited shout. "Ah! Look! It's the Royal Knights!" Jesmon and Craniummon smiled at the boy as they passed the teens returning home. "Thanks for all your help, everyone!" the boy smiled. "I won't ever forget all you did for us!" The Royal Knights nodded to him in acknowledgement as they continued on their way.

Nokia wore a sad frown as the Digimon disappeared behind them. "Everyone's going home…"

"Does this mean that the Digimon are going to leave our world?" Arata frowned as he released Infermon from his Digivice.

Yuuko frowned as she said goodbye to Gaioumon. "If so, things will get awful lonely." Yuugo fondly patted Mugendramon before sending the mechanical dragon away. The raven-haired boy wordlessly turned toward their world and prepared to take off, but Yuuko quickly called out to him. "Onii-chan!?"

The older brother paused before giving her a reassuring smile. "It's okay, Yuuko. My cyber form is returning to my physical body."

"Th-then that means…!" a smile began to grow on her face.

"Yes," he nodded. "I'll have a real body, after eight years…" He knit his eyebrows together and stared down at his current form. "It will feel very heavy and confining."

"Don't worry," Arata smirked at him. "I'll be there to help with your rehabilitation!"

"Just go easy on me," Yuugo smirked back at his best friend. "Okay then, see you soon!" he stated before his body turned into a ball of data that quickly rushed off ahead of them.

Arata turned around to smile at Nokia and Takumi behind him. "We made it!"

Yuuko nodded as she also turned to face her friends. "Let's go home… Our world is waiting!"

"Yeah!" Nokia grinned before turning to face Takumi. She extended her hand out to the Cyber Sleuth. "Let's go home! All of us together!"

"Everyone…" Takumi smiled at them as he dragged his tired right arm up to accept her hand. Before he could reach her though, his body suddenly burst into a bright mass of intangible data.

Nokia's eyes widened at what just happened. "Huh!?" Behind her, she could hear Yuuko and Arata also gasp in surprise. The turquoise-eyed girl frowned at the dissipating data before her and tried grabbing at it, to no avail. The large mass of whatever remained suddenly broke apart as what used to be Takumi disappeared into the flow of the Digital Line.

The three remaining teens soon found themselves in an intersection of Shinjuku. They stared at the road in disbelief as Takumi's cracked goggles clattered to the ground in front of them. Yuuko slowly worked up the nerve to gingerly pick them up as Arata clenched his fists. Nokia brought her hands up to her heart and began to cry. Around them, cars began to honk at them but they didn't care. All they could think about was their lost friend.

* * *

 **Final Notes:** So I might have been a little bit mean in where I decided to cut the chapter... But seriously, up until here, I was completely fine with how the ending was going to play out. Like hell, I'm keeping the game's actual ending of rebooting the world... Parts of it made no sense! Anyway... that's for tomorrow. Right now, I want to focus on Takumi's final team. Omegamon Zwart D was first introduced in Next 0rder, but I gave him to Takumi because I made a mistake with Omegamon Zwart. I didn't know Omegamon Zwart was Vaccine, not Virus. That confused me a lot... Plus, with Nokia being partnered with Omegamon as well as Takumi's equal, I needed a Digimon to reflect that. For Nokia, I'm pretty sure Omegamon's base is WarGreymon but for Takumi, it would be MetalGarurumon (Black), hence their different preferences for which arm they use. It probably doesn't help that I prefer Gabumon's evolution line over Agumon's... For Rosemon Burst Mode, well, she's the only starter who has a form beyond her Ultimate so of course she's a given. There's probably some irony in her rose motif and the fact that Yuuko gave the Digimon to Takumi, but oh well. Chaosmon I just really wanted to give to Takumi because Chaosmon and Darkdramon are awesome. See, I'd be able to give Takumi Omegamon Zwart if Chaosmon had remained Virus, but apparently Chaosmon is Vaccine. As for Imperialdramon Fighter Mode, I might as well finally give Takumi a proper Free Digimon. He was the only one with a further form beyond Ultimate though... For anyone curious about the line used to devolve ChaosDukemon and GrandLocomon though, it's ChaosDukemon to MegaloGrowmon to Veedramon to V-mon and GrandLocomon to CannonBeemon to Kuwagamon to Wormmon. It's a bit convoluted, but it works! Also... I decided to return Mugendramon to Yuugo because he's kinda just there otherwise. That and I couldn't really do anything to Mugendramon... Oh, and Alphamon Ouryuken! Because that's still my favorite Digimon ever! I like to think Alphamon is Takumi's true partner and of course their bond would be reflected through Ouryuken. Pretty much, it'd be Takumi altering his team and a bit of his own data to match Ouryumon's signature just so he and Alphamon can bring out each other's greatest potential.


	31. Welcome Home

**Author's Notes:** So I decided to change the epilogue a little because Suedou's reboot kind of ruins the ending a little. The game really tries to push that humans and Digimong _can_ coexist so what's with making it so that the Digimon never existed at all? Also, after all the cases Takumi took on in the agency... Resetting the world in the way the game does it undermines all of what he did... Well, anyway, here's how I'd rather have the game end.

* * *

Nokia sighed as she and her friends entered the private hospital room Takumi had been transferred to. "So… a week has passed," she tried to smile at the unconscious boy lying in the bed before them. "For Tokyo, it's as if nothing has happened. Today, as always, it overflows with people."

Arata leaned back against the wall before frowning to himself. "With the Digital World separated from our world, all of the Digital Shifts and stuff disappeared. A lot of the property damage from Digimon battles is gone too. I can say what I like about the government, but they really do pull through to get the city running again. The split axes of time have merged once again," the older boy nodded his head and crossed his arms. "I don't know what Suedou did to the timeline, but everything managed to work out. I was surprised he didn't go through a complete reboot, but you must have convinced him to alter the time stream so that—"

"Hey, Arata!" Nokia glared at him. "You self-proclaimed geek! I don't want to hear it all again!"

"You slept through half of it the last time though!"

"That's because I didn't understand you at all!"

"I'm explaining it to Takumi, not you!"

Yuuko sighed at the two bickering friends as she decided to update Takumi on the world's current events. "Sorry we couldn't all visit any earlier than this, but there was a lot we had to take care of. It was actually a bit surprising when we came back because the world seems completely normal. The past eight years didn't change at all, but I suppose that is for the best… Papa is still gone, but I have Onii-chan back now!" She turned towards her brother sitting in the hospital chair with a smile on her face.

Yuugo chuckled as he nodded. "Yuuko told me about how she wanted revenge for our dad. She must have put you through a lot, but I'm glad you were able to resolve everything. Thanks, Takumi." He shook his head and smiled. "Oh, by the way, since Yuuko is still a minor, it looks like I'm now President of Kamishiro Enterprise. It's a bit surprising considering I've only just recently woken up, but I decided Yuuko and I will co-run our dad's company together. So far, I've been getting EDEN running while Yuuko is handling all legal affairs regarding the past eight years. It'll be difficult, but I'm sure we can handle it. It's because of you we can now fulfill our father's dream for EDEN after all. We'll work hard to reverse the damage Rie-san and LordKnightmon did."

The raven-haired girl lowered her gaze. "I'm still very sorry for everything I put you through regarding her, Takumi," she stated. "But even so, I still think it was the right choice to defeat LordKnightmon in the end. She had been so corrupted by Rie-san that together they would have killed you if Kyoko-san, or rather Alphamon, hadn't saved us in time. That said though… it seems that without LordKnightmon Rie-san fell victim to EDEN Syndrome after that day we faced her. She woke up around the same time we resolved things in the Digital World but I had prepared all of the evidence of her crimes beforehand. Fei even found some files within the Kamishiro database titled 'xXx Rie's Demon Notebook xXx' and it chronicles many of her darker deeds…" Yuuko frowned as she remembered reading through the hellish diary. "Before we left for the Digital World, I managed to send the all of the information to Detective Matayoshi."

"That old man sure works fast," Arata crossed his arms and smirked. "The order for that woman's arrest came in the very next day after we got home and I even got my name cleared too." He knit his eyebrows together and frowned. "So according to the detective, Kishibe will only be charged for what she did as herself and not for what LordKnightmon did while in her body… But apparently, Kishibe is also confessing to some of the crimes LordKnightmon did, like offing Yuugo and Yuuko's dad. Right now, Matayoshi is interrogating her, trying to sort out which crimes are actually her responsibility."

Nokia groaned and shook her head. "This is all so confusing! I still don't get it at all. So was it really LordKnightmon's fault or Kishibe's? Who's really going to be charged with the crimes?"

Yuuko took a moment to ponder it. "It could be that Rie-san's ambitions for taking over Kamishiro completely overpowered LordKnightmon, but LordKnightmon also used Rie-san to further her own goal of destroying humanity. Yamashina-san explained to us before how a person's memories are embedded into their body, not just mind, so really, it's difficult to tell where Rie-san's personality ended and LordKnightmon's began. In the end, it might just be more accurate to say both of them are two similar but separate entities sharing the same body," she nodded before lowering her gaze. "I'm actually willing to leave this to Matayoshi-san to figure out though. It would be wrong for me to continue involving myself with my father's murder so you don't have to worry, Takumi. I'm ready to move on from those dangerous emotions you warned me against. Besides, you were trying to tell me all along that I had no reason to turn to them, right?" The quiet girl looked at her brother and friends and smiled. "I have you, Onii-chan, and the others to rely on after all."

"Yuuko…" Yuugo nodded to his sister.

"Hang in there, Yuuko-chi!" Nokia smiled. The redhead smiled before continuing their message. "Oh, and about EDEN Syndrome… With the help of that Yamashina guy, Yuuko-chi managed to release an official statement about that too. We all thought there would have been a lot of backlash against Kamishiro, but with what you managed to do in the Digital World, all of the victims suddenly woke up, just like Yuugo-kun! He's now in rehab and we're all helping him out!"

"That's right!" Arata nodded. "The only victim with EDEN Syndrome left is you…" he seriously stated, "but everybody's expecting you back soon, alright? Afterwards, we can probably try to find a way to access the Digital World and meet the Digimon again… It's… been a bit lonely without them…" He hid his expression behind the collar of his jacket. "I know there were hackers who abused the Digimon, but it looks like your soft-heartedness got through to an even larger bunch. Even people who aren't hackers seem to be missing the Digimon… Right now, there are some scientists and 'specialists' thinking they can try to open up a portal into the Digital World themselves and there are a lot of hackers helping them, but without the Digimon, it looks like all hacking is going back to the analog days…"

"Fei's a bit disappointed at that," Yuuko nodded, "since she lost TigerVespamon, but everyone is hoping to be able to see the Digimon again. Still, the only man who is most likely able to find a way back into the Digital World is missing…"

"Ah, right!" Nokia nodded. "Hey, Takumi… It might be because you left him in Yggdrasil or whatever, but Suedou Akemi isn't here in this world. It's as if he just disappeared off the face of the planet… There's a little tightness in my chest, but…" she frowned as she looked up towards Arata.

"It should be fine," he sternly nodded. "All of his research and the Digimon Capture program are still here, so it's not like he never existed. And even though he's not here, this must be what he wanted in the end. He built this world for you just so you could prove his weird theory, right, Takumi?" The older boy laughed. "Man," Arata shook his head, "I'll probably never understand you geniuses, but I guess I can't complain." His face fell a bit. "But speaking of people being missing from this world… I know this is probably something you don't want to hear, but…"

"Kyoko-san isn't here either," Yuuko sadly stated. "We all looked but we couldn't find her. We had thought she would turn up like Rie-san after LordKnightmon was defeated, but Kyoko-san never showed up among those with EDEN Syndrome. Actually…" she frowned, "we don't even know if Kyoko-san separated from Alphamon and returned with us from the Digital World…"

"But the Kuremi Detective Agency is still here," Nokia reassured the Cyber Sleuth. "Even if we haven't seen her for the past week, we've been taking care of the office for you both regardless." She knit her eyebrows together as she remembered the last time the detective went missing. "Is Kyoko-san around somewhere, I wonder? Is it just that we can't find her?" She sighed as she hoped that was the case. "That must be it." She looked back up towards Takumi. "Only a famous sleuth like you can find Kyoko-san," she seriously told the unconscious boy. "I know there's no doubt about it! So…" Nokia clenched her fists as she felt as though she were about to cry. "Please…!" She fell silent and closed her eyes, wanting her best friend to greet them with his usual grin.

Nobody spoke up for a while as they all stared Takumi's unconscious body. Finally, Arata shook his head. "Hey, knock it off with the gloomy expression," he told Nokia. "It's not like you." Nokia took in a deep breath and shook her head, prompting Arata to frown at her in concern. "Come on. Is that the face you really want to pull? What would Takumi think?"

"I get it," she nodded. "I really do, but…" She worriedly stared at Takumi's body, tempted to try to shake him awake. She refrained though and instead tried calling out to her best friend. "Hey… Please, come home!"

Arata crossed his arms as he tried to give her a reassuring smirk. "Don't worry! We haven't seen the last of him. According to the doctor, all vital signs are looking great. Takumi's gonna be fine. I promise!" he adamantly nodded.

"Yeah," Nokia nodded before staring at the ground.

"Don't be an idiot!" Arata tried to scold her. "What, you think Takumi's wandering around EDEN like a ghost somewhere?" He smirked over at his best friend as Yuugo tried to stand from his seat. "Like a certain someone we know?"

Leaning on his crutch, Yuugo let out an uneasy laugh before Yuuko glared at Arata. The younger sibling's eyes flashed as her piercing gaze made the older boy tense up. "That was a subconscious manifestation of my brother while trapped by the Eaters," she stated in Yuugo's defense. "It was all outside of his control. We're the ones who were responsible for all this happening. Blaming my brother for it is wrong. It's not like he was doing it all for fun. He deserves to have the record set straight, along with an apology."

"Whoa," Arata frowned at her. "Why so serious all of a sudden?"

"Yes?" Yuuko continued to coolly glare at him.

Yuugo looked between the two of them nervously as he knew that he'd have to take over Takumi's role as their mediator. "Now, now…" he tried to get both headstrong hackers to settle down, but they only just intensified their glares. "Oh dear… What would Takumi say in this situation?" he asked aloud while knitting his eyebrows together. "Um… Nokia, do you know?"

"Oh, yeah, that's right!" the redhead managed to cheer up a bit. "It's as Arata the self-proclaimed non-geek says!" she exclaimed with a grin.

"Huh!?" Arata exclaimed as he was forced to break his staring contest with Yuuko to frown at Nokia.

Yuuko frowned at the girl in disbelief. "Are you going to gang up on my brother too, Nokia-san?"

Nokia shook her head as she started for the exit. Arata's frown deepened. "Hey, where are you going?" he asked as she was already out in the hall.

"EDEN!" she declared with a grin. "I'm gonna go on a little search! If I just sit here moping and doing nothing, Agumon and Gabumon will laugh at me!"

"Nokia-san…" Yuuko smiled as this was just like her.

"If there's a ghost, maybe there's someone who's seen it!" Nokia stated. "Sakura-chi's new boyfriend might know something about it, seeing he's friends with Takumi _and_ a paranormal photographer," she nodded to herself. "And if I search EDEN, I just might find some data fragments here and there!" She paused and smirked at herself. "Whoa… Did I hit full-on cyber sleuth mode just now?" Yuugo chuckled at her cheerful optimism before the girl raised a fist into the air. "Okay, it's time to gather information!" She looked over towards Arata and nodded to him. "Come with me, assistant boy!"

As she ran off, Arata knit his eyebrows together. "What? Assistant? Me?" He shook his head before finally straightening up. "Tch! I guess I'll hang with you then," he stated as he slipped his hands into his pockets and went after her. "But let's be clear… I'm the cyber sleuth and you're the assistant, alright? I won't give up on… Hey! Are you even listening?"

"Well, they're as lively as usual," Yuugo chuckled at the pair before looking over towards his sister. "Hm? Yuuko? Is something the matter?"

Yuuko stared at the second pair of goggles wrapped around her right arm. "All this talk of EDEN just reminded me of something," she stated as she began to remove the newly repaired Digivice.

"Isn't that Takumi's?" Yuugo asked, tilting his head to the side.

His younger sister nodded to him as she stared at the device in her hand for a while longer. "Besides repairing it, I went through his files in case there was something we had overlooked."

"And did you find anything important?"

"Yes, I did." A grave expression washed over the girl's face as she turned towards her brother. Yuugo knit his eyebrows together and braced himself for what it was that his sister found. "Onii-chan," Yuuko seriously began, "Can I have you be a taste-tester for me?"

"H-huh…?" Yuugo blinked at her. "Taste…taster?"

Yuuko nodded her head. "I found a list of recipes in Takumi's Digivice and I want to practice making them so I can prepare a bento for him when he wakes up!"

"Is… that so?" the older brother crookedly smiled at her. "This is a rather strange request to ask of me…"

"Please, Onii-chan?" she begged her brother. "It would help to have your opinion and it's only until he wakes up…"

"Alright, Yuuko," Yuugo nodded to her with a soft chuckle. "Let's get going then. Don't forget to return his goggles to him before we go though."

Yuuko nodded as her brother slowly made his way to the door. She turned back towards Takumi and stared at him for a while before setting his Digivice down on the bedside table. The raven-haired girl smiled at how serene the redhead seemed while asleep. "You seem as carefree as usual," she sighed. Sneaking a glimpse towards her brother, she noticed Yuugo was already outside. She quickly pecked Takumi's cheek before straightening up and turning her back towards the unconscious boy. "We'll wait as long as it takes so come home soon, Takumi," she muttered before hurrying to the exit. The raven-haired girl cast one last glance at the sleeping redhead but paused as she thought she saw his Digivice glow for a moment. She studied them for a while longer but frowned when there didn't seem to be anything strange about them. Thinking it was just a trick of light, she shrugged it off before catching up to Yuugo.

* * *

Takumi slowly stirred when he heard someone speaking to him. It was a gentle voice yet still very dignified. The boy found it reminiscent of a mother speaking to a child as he continued to listen to whoever it was calling out to him. For some reason, he could sense a bit of hope in the person's tone, but it was still also very sad. He couldn't really make out the words as his mind was completely fuzzy, but he felt as though he knew who it was and this feeling gave him the strong need to open his eyes to see who it was. When some of his senses returned to him, he gently smiled at the black-armored Digimon with a fluttering blue mantle, golden wings, and heavy blade standing before him.

Alphamon stared at him in surprise before smiling at him with relief. "It looks like you've finally woken up. I've been talking to you since I found you, but… I never got even the faintest response out of you. You woke up just when I was about to give up. Can you hear me?"

Takumi nodded his head but he noticed he didn't really have a body. He was also a bit confused because they seemed to be in the Digital Line connecting the Digital World to the real world. He frowned to himself as he felt as though he had just waken up from a long dream, where his mind had been wandering here and there, so looked up towards the Digimon for some answers.

"I guess I should explain the situation," Alphamon stated as the boy blinked at her in his formless state. "Your half-cyber body collapsed after attempting that crazy Connect Jump. The data that comprised you just… dispersed. In other words, you're a husk of your former self. How do you feel?"

Takumi looked down at his strange self but didn't really see, let alone feel, anything. Looking back up at Alphamon, he shook his head.

"Yeah, don't worry about trying to tell me," Alphamon lightly chuckled. "Fate just won't give up on you." Her expression seemed to soften as she continued to study him. "And neither will I." She lowered her gaze as she thought back to everything she had experienced over the past eight years. "Taking on the will of Yggdrasil after so long, becoming human, sleuthing, fighting my comrades… And I had this one assistant who kept doing all sorts of crazy things." She shook her head. "That was a handful, let me tell you." The Royal Knight smiled though as she continued. "But thanks to you, it was all a lot of fun," Alphamon stated. "Thank you," she nodded to him. "I've been wanting to tell you that. Waiting for you to wake up."

Takumi sheepishly lowered his gaze as it was unlike her to be so honest to him. He owed her just as much after all and it was a bit embarrassing to have her directly acknowledge the strength of their bond.

The Digimon chuckled at him. "What is it? Don't be bashful!"

Takumi looked up at her and quickly shook his head as a serious thought crossed his mind.

"What's that? What's going to become of you now?" Alphamon guessed his question. "As I said before, you data dispersed." She lowered her gaze and frowned. "Not even I can gather it back together now. You could wander around in here, in your semi-permanent state…"

Takumi lowered his gaze and closed his eyes in understanding.

"Or… Oh, that's right!" Alphamon nodded as an idea came to her. "You could come to the Digital World. How about it?"

Takumi snapped his eyes open and stared at her in surprise.

"I'm about to get really busy," she told him. "The Eaters were reformatted by Yggdrasil, reverted back to a harmless state of being. But we still don't know much about their true nature. I surmise that their main unit is in a higher dimension that only Yggdrasil can detect. I do plan on confirming that… somehow."

Takumi tilted his head to the side.

"What about Kuremi Kyoko?" Alphamon understood his concerns but shook her head at him. "Of course you would be worried about her too. It seems I've been in her body for so long it's a bit difficult for me to separate myself from her. Our mental data have simultaneously overwritten each other so we'll be performing investigations together as one person. I told you before that we became each other, didn't I?"

Takumi nodded.

"So how about it?" Alphamon smiled at the formless boy before curiously awaiting his answer. "We'll need someone to help us in our investigation. That's a job you're used to, right? Do you feel like coming with me and being my assistant once again?"

Takumi lowered his gaze as he found it a difficult decision to make. He could remain here and try to come up with a way to repair himself. His friends would definitely be waiting for him after all and he couldn't just give up on his promise to return to them. But if there was no way for him to return, then staying with Alphamon would be the best choice. It was extremely tempting but if he remained in this form, he would probably end up decomposing even further, wouldn't he? He didn't want that at all so began frantically shaking his head.

Alphamon chuckled at his distressed state. "Just kidding! No need to get so serious!"

Takumi slowly relaxed a bit as he looked up at her.

"I wanted to see you stressed out for a second," she smiled at him. "I've been affected by you humans quite a bit. That's why I understand why you do what you do. You want to help your friends. I've come to feel that way too," she nodded. "And it's not just me. Look and see," she told him as she held out her Ouryuken towards him.

Confused, Takumi watched as the weapon he had hacked for her glowed and dispersed into data. His blinked as it reverted into his Digimon, prior to their final evolution: SaintGalgomon, Rosemon, HiAndromon, MetalGarurumon (Black), BlackWarGreymon, ChaosDukemon, SaberLeomon, Darkdramon, and GrandLocomon. The boy smiled at his team before looking back up at the one Digimon he trusted the most with his entire existence.

"You see?" Alpamon smirked at him. "In the same way I've been affected… Your Digimon friends have also been affected, by you, and not just a few of them, either. Since you were basically a digital life form as it was, you might be able to guess how large your impact was. The proof lies within these Digimon. Little bits of your data, here and there. Friendship, love, bonds, moments of recollection. To put it bluntly, they are your memories."

Takumi's eyes widened. If he had a body, he was sure he'd be crying by now, but he continued to gratefully stare at his dear Digimon and friends.

"I'm thinking we can collect them, reconstruct your mental data, and reinstall that into your body," Alphamon nodded. "It's unprecedented and a little drastic, but for what we want to do, we don't need to adhere to rationality. I've also got a little of your data to provide." She chuckled when she figured the boy was giving her a smirk. "Don't get mad if that data is a little weird. If there's one thing I'll regret, it's that you won't be able to enjoy my coffee anymore."

Takumi knit his eyebrows together as he sadly prepared himself for their final farewell.

"It's time for us to say goodbye, Takumi," Alphamon reluctantly stated, "My assistant, my companion… my friend." She raised her right arm towards him in the same way he usually did when preparing a Connect Jump. "Okay! Here goes the reinstallation… You will now be the master of your own future!" she declared.

Takumi gave her a determined nod as everything around him faded into white.

* * *

INSTALLATION BEGIN

0% COMPLETE

TIME REMAINING: 3 WKS

1% COMPLETE

TIME REMAINING: 3 WKS

5% COMPLETE

TIME REMAINING: 2 WKS, 6 DAYS

10% COMPLETE

TIME REMAINING: 2 WKS, 4 DAYS

48% COMPLETE

TIME REMAINING: 3 DAYS, 12 HRS

50% COMPLETE

TIME REMAINING: 6 DAYS, 23 HRS

86% COMPLETE

TIME REMAINING: 2 DAYS, 7 HRS

93% COMPLETE

TIME REMAINING: 22 HRS, 54 MIN

97% COMPLETE

TIME REMAINING: 7 HRS, 20 MIN

98% COMPLETE

TIME REMAINING: 59 MIN

99% COMPLETE

TIME REMAINING: 30 SEC

99% COMPLETE

TIME REMAINING: 2 HRS

99% COMPLETE

TIME REMAINING: 0 SEC

100% COMPLETE

INSTALLATION COMPLETE

The detective stared at the words displayed on the monitor before putting on a satisfied smirk. The investigator looked away though as the door to the office opened. "Welcome to the Kuremi—" There was a momentary pause as a group teenagers entered the agency. "Oh, good! You're all here. Why don't you all take a seat and I'll heat up some coffee?" the investigator chuckled. "Today's special is chili powder, watermelon, and pickled daikon boiled in fish sauce and lemon—"

"Yeah, I'm going to stop you right there, Takumi," Arata stated, lightly thumping the boy's skull.

The red-haired boy chuckled as he poured himself another cup. "More for me, I suppose," he shrugged. He paused when Yuuko set a cloth-wrapped container down on top of his desk. "What's this?"

"Considering you sounded busy when you called earlier, I made you some lunch again today," the girl smiled at him.

"Really!?" The detective straightened up and began undoing the knot of the furoshiki. "Thanks!"

"Just don't go dumping it into your coffee maker this time," Yuuko frowned.

"I won't," Takumi reassured her as his eyes widened at the lunch box's contents. "Ah! An okonomiyaki bento!" He took up a fork and carefully cut open the savory pancake to see what was in it. "Pork belly, egg, octopus…" He thoughtfully took a bite and closed his eyes. "Shrimp…" he nodded before pausing for a moment. "Cheese?" He opened his eyes and knit his eyebrows together. "Did you just throw every ingredient possible into this?"

"Yup," Nokia smiled. "She sure did!"

"Why? Is there a problem?" Arata asked as he crossed his arms. "Okonomiyaki literally means 'what you like grilled' and since she was taking too long in figuring out what to put in, we just told her to put everything into it."

Takumi shook his head. "But you have to consider the taste profile of each ingredient," he began lecturing them. "The batter already consists of flour, grated nagaimo, eggs, shredded cabbage, and…" he took another bite and nodded. "Yeah, that's dashi instead of water." He swallowed the food in his mouth and continued. "As for any additional ingredient, you need to consider—"

"How is it that your skewed taste only applies to coffee?" Yuuko curiously asked him, bringing a hand up to her mouth. "Well… I suppose that's fine so long as you're able to accompany me on our food tours."

"Oh, speaking of which, here's the report for our last tour of Shibuya," Takumi grinned handing her a folder. "It's a bit wordy but—"

"I'm sorry to interrupt," Yuugo crookedly smiled at him, "but is there a reason you asked us to come over?"

"Oh, that's right!" Takumi turned the monitor on his desk around towards them. "So I've been working on a new program in between cases and I think I've finally done it!"

"Done what?" Nokia blinked at him as Arata, Yuuko, and Yuugo went to inspect the program.

Yuugo's eyes widened as he recognized the coding. "Takumi! This is amazing! How did you figure out the data sequence pertaining to a Digimon?"

"I had Yamashina-san replicate our mental data and used that as a substitute," Takumi explained after taking another bite of his lunch. "Well, more so mine than yours," he shrugged. "You're not really a digital being anymore, but I'm still considered half-cyber, thanks to the way my mental data is uniquely composed. I'm more or less like how Alphamon and Kyoko-san are now. Sure, it's a bit more difficult for me to Connect Jump with my physical body since the conversion process from the physical to digital is a bit more complex. I also can't really Connect Jump as much as I'd like either considering it's incredibly draining. Even just using my Stealth Hide in the real world leaves me crazy hungry." His friends sighed as the ravenous boy shoveled some more food down his throat. "But anyway, by using my Connect Jump and data as the code base for this program, I had Mirei-san refine the system I used before when travelling between parallel worlds. From there—"

"Stop, stop!" Nokia knit her eyebrows together as she was lost long before he began speaking. "My MP's at zero again…" she sighed.

"Oh, sorry, Nokia," Takumi crookedly smiled at her. "Let's just say I managed to upgrade the Digimon Capture program Suedou-san created."

"Huh? Why?" she asked. "The Digimon aren't here anymore."

"Don't you get it?" Arata smirked. "With this, the Digimon can come back!"

"Really!?" the turquoise-eyed girl stared at Takumi in disbelief. "No joke!?" When she saw that Takumi was beaming at her, she jumped up and let out a cheer. "That's my favorite Cyber Sleuth! So, so! When can we see Kyoko-san again?"

"Ah…" Takumi's smile slowly disappeared at that. He shook his head and let out a sigh. "About that… I only just recently finished installing the program. I haven't tested it out yet or anything. And even if it did work, I doubt Alphamon would respond. She's not in the Digital World… at least… I don't think she is…" he knit his eyebrows together. "I haven't been able to track Ouryuken's signature at all…" He placed a hand over his heart as he wondered how the Royal Knight and his team were doing.

"That's why you called us over," Yuuko said, bringing up her hand to her mouth. "You want us to test the program for you, since you no longer have Digimon of your own."

"That's right," Takumi nodded. "Well, in any case, can I see your Digivice, Nokia? I'd like you to be the one to test it out."

Nokia handed him her phone. "Why me?"

"Because out of all of us, you're the one with the strongest bond with your Digimon," he stated. "Besides, don't you want to see Agumon and Gabumon again?"

"Of course!" the girl exclaimed with a nod.

Everybody watched as Takumi connected her phone to the agency's computer. The blue-eyed boy hummed to himself as the program loaded into the Digivice and soon it was ready. "Alright, you're all set! Boot it up, will you?"

Nokia activated the program and a screen popped up from her phone. She smiled as she was able to see the Digital World's colorful plants in the background. "Oh, hey! It's working!"

Arata narrowed his gaze as he searched for any sign of life. "But where are the Digimon?"

Takumi pensively chewed another bite as it didn't seem like his program worked after all. He shook his head and frowned as ten minutes passed and there was still no Digimon in sight. "A failure…?"

"Agumon! Gabumon!" Nokia shouted into her Digivice. "Are you theeeerrrreee!?"

"Nokia…" Yuugo sighed as they would probably have to try again.

"At least we've gotten a bit closer to our goal," Yuuko tried to smile.

"Yeah," Arata nodded before ruffling Takumi's hair, "not bad for someone who's been out of the hospital for only a couple months."

"But don't forget the worlds have been separated for nearly three months," Takumi pointed out, fixing his goggles. "Maybe we'll need more power… Is anyone up for hacking the Digital Line again?" He grinned at the Kamishiro siblings. "I'd say the recently reformed hacker team Zaxon has yet to prove their strength in that regard—"

Nokia quickly shushed him. "Hey, shut up, Takumi!"

"Hm?" the blue-eyed boy blinked at her as he returned to eating.

"Do you hear something, Nokia-san?" Yuuko asked.

"It's a bit faint, but I think so…?" Nokia knit her eyebrows together.

Everyone fell silent and strained to listen. It was quiet at first, but they all soon heard the two familiar cries calling for their tamer. "Nokia…! Nokia!" The five teens smiled at each other as they recognized the voices. "Hey! Nokia!"

"Agumon! Gabumon!" Nokia grinned as the pair of Digimon suddenly appeared on screen. "It's really you!"

"We meet again!" Gabumon happily jumped.

"How is this possible, Nokia?" Agumon asked.

"This is the miracle of our friendship transcending time and space!" the girl exclaimed.

"Really?" Agumon's eyes widened.

Arata cleared his throat and frowned at the over-excited girl. "Really?"

"Okay…" Nokia crookedly smiled. "So Takumi might have made it possible…"

"Ah! Takumi!" Gabumon waved at the boy sitting at the detective's desk. "You really are okay! The entire Digital World will be happy to know you're safe!"

"Eh?" the redhead blinked. "Why wouldn't I be okay?"

"Your data dispersed just before you went home, right?" Gabumon asked. "Alphamon went to look for you but never came back."

"Ah…" Takumi wryly smiled at that. "So she's not at the Digital World after all…"

"Anyway!" Nokia quickly changed the subject. "It looks like we'll be able to meet again after all! A good thing too because Rebellions can't really do anything for the Digimon if there are no Digimon around! Hey, Takumi!" she looked up at the chuckling Cyber Sleuth. "So how do I use your new Digimon Capture program thing, huh?"

"Just scan Agumon and Gabumon and they'll be able to enter your Digivice," he nodded. "Oh, but do that just yet. If you do, they'll have no way back to the Digital World."

Yuugo blinked at Takumi. "You didn't develop a system to send data back, did you?"

"No," the younger boy shook his head. "Data retrieval from the Digital World is easy considering I sort of do it all the time. Sending it back, however…" he nervously chuckled. "It's a bit too risky for me…"

Arata lightly thumped the boy's head again. "Hey," he frowned. "Don't just use yourself as a guinea pig for something so dangerous."

"That's right. We don't need you disappearing on us again," Yuuko worriedly stated as she brought a hand up to her mouth. "But if you want to further your program, just leave this to us. We can establish a part of EDEN as a sort of terminal for the Digimon."

Yuugo nodded. "We'll have to update Cron soon anyway. If we set up a connection point there between EDEN and the Digital World, the Digimon will be able to freely move about as they wish."

"Galacta Park sounds like the perfect place to begin," his sister suggested.

"Ah, how fitting," Yuugo chuckled.

"As expected of the co-CEOs of Kamishiro Enterprise," Takumi smiled. "Well, I'll leave the rest to you to develop then. There's sure to be a few side effects from our breaking of space-time, but that means more cases for me! Besides," he glanced up at his case board, "things have been a bit too quiet for me lately. I kind of miss having to deal with hackers and random property retrieval requests…"

"Wow," Arata smirked at the detective, "you're becoming just as sketchy as Kyoko-san."

"But of course!" Takumi laughed. "That's just a natural result of being a detective. Are you still interested in becoming my assistant, Arata? You've already got the sketchy part down!"

"Like I'd ever work under you!" the older boy stated. "And who are you calling sketchy?" He paused for a moment and crossed his arms. "But, uh… sure… If you need a hand, call me up or something…"

"Excellent!" Nokia exclaimed. "So with Yuuko-chi and Yuugo-kun taking care of the rest of the program and Arata helping Takumi, that just leaves me to…" she paused. "To do what exactly?"

"You don't know, Nokia-san?" Yuuko smiled at her.

Yuugo nodded. "You're going to unite the hackers again, right?"

"Huh?" Nokia blinked at them.

"We can't just let _anybody_ use the new Digimon Connect program," Takumi crossed his arms and nodded. "And no one else is better at getting through to the hackers than you."

"That's right!" Agumon and Gabumon jumped as they cheered her on. "You can do it, Nokia!"

"Agumon! Gabumon!" Nokia blushed as she grinned at them. "Just you wait! We'll be able to hang out again soon! Wish us luck!"

Agumon nodded. "We'd better get going then!"

"We have to tell the others about what you're doing!" Gabumon exclaimed.

"We'll talk again later then," Nokia smiled. "Thanks, Agumon, Gabumon!" She hung up the call and looked up towards her friends. "I can't believe it! We'll really be able to see everyone again. All of our Digimon friends will return!" She paused though as she remembered Takumi's team wouldn't be among them. "A-ah…! T-takumi…!"

"Hm?" the Cyber Sleuth raised an eyebrow at her. "What? Are you worried about me since Alphamon and my Digimon are missing?" He shook his head. "Don't be. I'm sure I'll see them again eventually. They're just busy with their own cases."

"Takumi…" Yuuko worriedly frowned at him.

"It's alright," the boy chuckled as his friends continued to stare at him in concern. "I know I'll see them again… It's why I renamed the Digimon Capture program into the Digimon Connect program." He brought his right fist to his heart. "We're always connected after all. Until then, I have to run the agency in Kyoko-san's place as a proper Cyber Sleuth should!"

"Don't forget we'll be helping you out too," Arata smirked.

"Of course!" Takumi nodded. "Now how about some coffee to celebrate our success?" he asked, raising his empty cup in the air, much to everybody's dismay.

* * *

Takumi typed away at his desktop and flipped through a few files on his desk before the door to his agency opened. "Welcome to—Ah! Matayoshi-san!" The Cyber Sleuth smiled at the old man coming in. "I wasn't expecting you to visit!"

The veteran detective shook his head at the young man running the agency. "I would have given you a call, but it looks like you're a bit busy yourself," he laughed, looking at all of the various files cluttered on the boy's desk.

"Are you here about a case?" the redhead asked.

"No," Matayoshi shook his head. "I just came to check up on you and the office."

"Is that so?" Takumi noticed his cup of coffee was empty so poured himself some more. "Um, would you like something to drink? I didn't have time to add anything into the coffee yet, but I do have some mayonnaise—"

"No, no, no! Just regular coffee is fine!" the old man quickly stated. "I won't be staying very long anyway, so forget it." He chuckled as Takumi shrugged and took a sip of coffee. "Yeah," he crossed his arms, "you certainly look like you belong in that chair. Kyo-chan was right when she said you'd eventually be a specialist."

"Hmm?" Takumi blinked at him before looking down at himself. He sheepishly laughed at the man's comment. "R-really…?"

"Of course," Matayoshi nodded his head. "If anything, it's about time you renamed the office to 'Aiba Detective Agency', wouldn't you say?"

"As great as that sounds, I can't do that," the blue-eyed detective shook his head.

"Oh?" the detective raised an eyebrow at the teen. "Are you still holding out for Kyo-chan to come back?"

"I know she'll be back," Takumi nodded. "I don't care how long it takes, but she'll be back. Until then, I'll be watching over the Kuremi Detective Agency for her."

"Well, you're building up quite the reputation for her in the meantime," Matayoshi chuckled. "All these Digimon cases keep coming in and the police still aren't really equipped to handle them. You and your friends sure did make a mess of things letting the Digimon back into our world, but at the same time, it's like everything became a whole lot better. I just hope you can handle it all on your own."

"Even if things get difficult, I'll persevere," the Cyber Sleuth stated with a determined nod. "That's what Kyoko-san taught me. Besides, I'm never really alone so long as I have my friends to support me. It's a vast world out there and it only just keeps evolving with each case."

"Don't I know it," the detective laughed. "Well, you seem to be doing fine. I was getting worried since it's been nearly a year now since you've taken over the agency. Let me know if you need anything, alright?"

"Sure thing, Detective," Takumi nodded. "The same goes for you as well. Oh, and send Inspector Date my regards."

"Right, right," Matayoshi started for the exit. "Oh, one last thing before I go, I'm sure that wherever she is, Kyo-chan will be proud of you. She really did choose a good assistant to succeed her and her father's legacy."

"Thanks…" the teen blushed as the man finally left. Takumi leaned back in his seat as he sipped his coffee. He absently spun the chair around so he could gaze up at the agency's motto. "Doggedly and with all my might, exhibit endurance like hard black iron…" he fondly quoted. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. "No matter how long it takes, I'll be here waiting for your return. So, please… if you ever require the need of your assistant, just call for me and I'll Connect Jump there, no matter how far away you are." He opened his eyes when he sensed a new client outside. "But for now…" Takumi spun his chair around to face the door as it opened. "Welcome to the Kuremi Detective Agency!" As soon as he finished greeting the guest, his blue eyes widened in disbelief at the blonde woman looking around the strangely immaculate office.

She chuckled at how much had changed around the room, but how much Takumi kept the same. Finally, she looked over at the teenager rising to his feet and gave him a smile. "I'm home, Takumi," she nodded.

Takumi wore a wide smile as tears began streaming down his face. "Welcome home, Kyoko-san."

* * *

 **Final Notes:** And that's the best way I could come up with to end things... I'm getting a lot of xxxHolic vibes here actually but at least it's not as depressing... I still think Takumi and Kyoko's relationship sort of mirrors Watanuki and Yuuko's, but I'll just leave it at that. I want to actually focus on a few things of the original ending that bothered me after all... Namely... a world reboot... So Suedou finally decides to sort of fix everything but he still kinda went ahead and did his own thing from within Yggdrasil. I don't understand why he wiped himself off the face of the planet. He must really like to annoy the hell out of Takumi, but Takumi was the one who convinced him the world was worth not scrapping! Well, Suedou reminds me of Heiss in Radiant Historia... Always doing their own thing for their own twisted well-intentioned goals... Seeing Suedou in this way makes me a bit more sympathetic towards him. But you know who's not sympathetic? Kishibe... So yeah, if you go to Kamishiro Enterprise, Fei's there and you can talk to her to read through Kishibe's diary. Most, if not all, of what's recorded is _before_ she's LordKnightmon and it's very disturbing. So why the hell does she get a sort of happy ending in the game? Like hell Yuuko would allow that psychopath to be her stepmother. I mean... I'd have outright kill Kishibe off if Kyoko wasn't in a similar state to her... That also bothered me in the end because even though it's nice Takumi gets to be Kyoko's assistant again, she's still technically not the same Kyoko in the game. Alphamon was a pretty big factor in that equation... I still don't really get how Kishibe and Kyoko work, but I feel that Takumi is the same as them now considering his mental data was probably gone from his body for so long, the memories of his body and mind don't really sync up. He's of course still compatible with his body sure, but it's not like his body contains the extra memories his mind does... Oh, another thing about the game's actual ending... If EDEN Syndrome never existed, why is it necessary to still force Yuugo into a coma for eight years? Takumi's is understandable because his data is missing so can't really return, but then that makes me wonder at what point did he fall into a coma. I have no idea how Suedou re-wrote the past but it seriously makes no sense. I guess that's enough of me ranting though... Even though the story is finished now, expect a bonus chapter tomorrow.


	32. Challenging the Cyber Sleuth

**Author's Notes:** And here's the first bonus chapter! Mainly because I feel not putting up the Great Challenges and Demon Lord cases makes it feel incomplete. The way I altered the epilogue at least lets Takumi take them on in a way that makes sense... I know I made a year pass in the story, but really at that point, a year doesn't really make a difference. The only thing that wouldn't make sense is Rina, but she doesn't really make sense anyways...

* * *

~SHINOMIYA~RINA'S~CHALLENGE~

"Takumi!" Rina excitedly greeted the Cyber Sleuth as he answered his phone.

"R-rina!?" Takumi blinked at her in surprise. "What are you still doing here? I thought Mirei-san sent you back to your world a long time ago!"

The girl ignored him as she bounced up and down in excitement. "Where are you and what are you up to right now!?" she asked.

"I'm on my way to work," the redhead replied with a frown on his face as he was still confused by Rina's presence. "But seriously, why are you still—?"

"Me, I'm raring for a fight something fierce over here!" Rina cried. "I feel like I've gotta have one or else I'll go out of my mind! Seriously!"

"W-wait… W-what—?"

"I wanna have a scrimma—no, that's not it. More like a rou—aaaaaugh, my brain's running way too fast for my mouth to catch up!" the tamer stated. "I want your Digimon to spar off with my Veevee!" she finally managed to say.

"You're challenging me… to a match…?" Takumi knit his eyebrows together.

"Oh, hey, that's it! Yeah, that's what I want!" Rina nodded. "A match! Between you and me! But we can't have it at just any old place…" she smirked, placing her hands on her hips. "It's gotta be somewhere special. You know, to set the right mood for the occasion!"

"W-what—?"

"I've got it!" she grinned. "Let's do it at that one 'memorable spot' of ours! You know the one!"

"W-where…?"

"Yeah, it'll be perfect!" Rina nodded. "I'll go on ahead there! You better not make me wait long, 'cause this is super important, you know!"

"W-wait—"

"I already filed it as a case with your agency," she brightly grinned, "so now you can't say no! See you soon, all right? All right!? Yeah!?" She began maniacally laughing but it soon turned into a coughing fit as Takumi guessed she had been eating while she made the call.

Takumi sighed as the girl already hung up on him. "I guess she'll leave once she's done exploring this world…" He smirked to himself as he went over his team of Digimon. "I know it's been a while since we've battled alongside each other and you all recently just returned, but what do you all say? Should we go?" Takumi's smile widened when he noticed they were ready for anything he asked. "Alright, let's do this!"

* * *

 _Client: Shinomiya Rina_

 _Place: Scenic spot_

 _Details: I want a match with you! I want to show you my passion! My morning soup keeps me strong! Ahaha!_

Kyoko crossed her arms and smirked at her very confused assistant. "Ooooh, a case with that girl from the Parallel World. If that's not a sign you've come a long way as a detective, I don't know what is," she chuckled.

"You think so?" Takumi smiled. "I still can't believe I didn't notice she was still here after a whole year."

"Well, you have been busy," the detective pointed out. "So what did you two talk about? What does she want from you?"

"She wants me to meet her somewhere for a fight… but I don't really know where…"

"Huh," Kyoko looked at the request note again. "She wants you to go back to a 'memorable spot' you two share? I don't really know what she could be referring to myself, but…" she shook her head. "At the very least, when it comes to stuff like the Parallel World, nobody's more of an expert than our one and only Mirei. Go visit her and see if she has any advice for you on how best to approach this."

"Understood," Takumi nodded, glad to be working under Kyoko once more.

* * *

"Mirei-san, how are you?" Takumi smiled at the woman as he entered the DigiLab. "Can you help me with something? It's about Rina…"

"You're working on a case for Rina?" Mirei curiously raised an eyebrow at him. "My, you two detectives have really extended your reach, I'd say."

"W-well…" Takumi sheepishly scratched his cheek.

"I take it you must be here because you need to ask me about something, then?"

He nodded as he showed her the request note. "I have no idea where Rina wants me to meet her."

"Hmm? You're trying to figure out where this 'memorable spot' of hers is?" Mirei studied the note for a while. "Well, if it's someplace that connects both of you, surely you should know where to go, no?"

Takumi closed his eyes and brought his hand up to his mouth. "A place that connects us?"

"Are you really sure you can't think of anything? Nothing rings a bell?"

"It could be Shinjuku…" Takumi answered as he opened his eyes.

"What sort of memories do you two have of there?" Mirei asked.

"That's where I landed in the Parallel World."

"That's right…" the woman nodded. "Shinjuku is where you two first met." She pushed up her glasses and smirked. "It was Shinjuku in the Parallel World, but it was still Shinjuku nonetheless. But she can't have gone back to the Parallel World. You would need the power of my Mastemon to facilitate such a journey. Where else could she be, then?"

Takumi frowned and crossed his arms. He closed his eyes and nodded. "Yes, where…? Also… why didn't you send her back after I finished my last case regarding the Digital World?"

Mirei ignored his last question as the boy continued to think it over. "So, you couldn't figure it out. I knew that's how it would turn out, though."

"Eh?" Takumi opened his eyes and blinked at her.

"Did you forget that I'm a fortune teller?" she reminded him. "Of course, I'd know. That's my job."

Takumi brought his palm up to his forehead. "So you didn't send her back… because you foresaw this case… and I guess this is also my fate…" He groaned. "You know… you were a lot easier for me to deal with when Kyoko-san was gone… Also…" he placed his hands on his hips and frowned. "Why didn't you just give me the proper answer sooner?"

"That's… a fair point, I'll give you that," Mirei nodded, "But the future is ever-changing, so I stayed quiet just in case."

"So this isn't fate?" Takumi asked, a bit confused. He paused though as his Digivice began to ring.

"Hey, Takumi!" Rina frowned at him. "What's the big idea!? What's so important that you gotta keep a girl waiting this long!? I've been waiting for you here this whole time. That didn't mean you had permission to take your sweet time! Don't tell me you're standing me up!" she gasped. "You are, aren't you!? I bet you weren't even gonna tell me, huh!? You just said yes to shut me up, I bet. What other reason could you have to—?"

"Rina, calm down!" Takumi shook his head. "I don't even know where I'm supposed to go!"

"Huh?" Rina blinked at him. "You don't remember the spot I'm at?" She began sniffling and brought her hands up to her face. "Awww, that's so mean! How could you forget our special spot, Takumi? It's Asakusa! You hear me!? Asakusa! Where else would it be!?"

"Asakusa…!?" the Cyber Sleuth knit his eyebrows together.

"What?" Rina continued to fake cry. "That doesn't ring any bells!? I can't believe you! It'd be one thing if you just forgot why it was Asakusa, but not even knowing! I can't even! I CAN'T EVEN!" She shook her head and frowned at the boy. "Whatever! Now you know! Get your butt over to Asakusa so we can fight already! Got it!?"

"A-ah…" Takumi frowned as the girl hung up.

Mirei pushed up her glasses and seriously looked at him. "I… predicted this would happen too," she stated.

Takumi closed his eyes and scratched his cheek. "Somehow… I doubt that… Only because Rina is in no way 'predictable' by any means…"

"Hmm?" Mirei smirked at him. "What's with that expression? I'm merely telling you the truth."

"Really?" the boy opened his eyes.

"Listen. To get results in life, there's a process one must go through and that process is already set in stone," Mirei explained. "Indeed, history itself, the ebb and flow of each soul's lifespan is all predetermined. Humans are merely walking along the path laid before them."

"Eh…?" Takumi placed his hands on his hips.

"Granted, sometimes you can take a more proactive role in these proceedings and when faced with a critical juncture, go along one of several paths," Mirei nodded. "The end result is that multiple potential futures can exist. Go right and there's one future. Go left, another one. Where you are right now is decided in those pivotal moments. Such choices even revise the past itself."

"Oh… that's right…" Takumi seriously thought it over. "It's like I was trying to tell Suedou-san about the world's limitless future…"

"The choices we make in life are profoundly powerful and mustn't be disregarded entirely as machinations of mere fate," Mirei nodded. "As a result, nobody can be truly certain of what comes next until a choice has been definitively made one way or the other. It's true for everyone. Even I'm subject to those limitations, alas," she chuckled.

"That explains why I still exist too, I suppose," Takumi mused.

"Enough philosophizing though," the woman stated. "Rina is waiting for you in Asakusa. Go forth and see what sort of fate awaits you in her making that choice."

"R-right…" Takumi sighed.

"I've said all that I can here," Mirei chuckled. "All you can do now is head for Asakusa and meet with Rina. Whatever happens from here on out, happens."

* * *

Rina laughed diabolically as Takumi ran towards her. After a while she began to cough, but that was enough taunting, she supposed. "You've finally made it, Takumi!" she smiled. "I've so relieved!" She blinked at him. "Wait, why did I ask you to come out here again?"

"Really…?" Takumi asked.

"Oh, duh! Of course!" she grinned. "I wanted to have a bit of a spar with you and your Digimon!"

Takumi brought his hand up to his chin. "Okay, but why here exactly?"

"Huh?" Rina blinked at him as she brought her hand up to her mouth. "Why Asakusa? That question again! I told you, it holds a lot of memories!"

"What memories?"

"I… think of this area really fondly," she seriously told him.

"Oh… you do?" Takumi blinked at her, surprised she could be so genuine. "But… that doesn't really involve me, does it?"

"What? What do you mean it's just me?" Rina asked, shaking her head. "You don't feel the same way?"

"Of course not…"

"Well, for me," Rina grinned, "Asakusa is an important place I'll always remember because that's where I first had me some dozeu!"

Takumi stared at her in disbelief. "Dozeu…?"

"Don't give me that look!" Rina continued to brightly smile. "Dozeu! You know, dojo! Not the martial arts place, pond loaches! Fish! I ate one, in a hot pot! Asakusa's famous for it!"

Takumi closed his eyes and placed his hands on his hips as a frown settled on his face. "That's not… what I meant…"

"Huh?" Rina knit her eyebrows together as she crookedly smiled at him. "That's not what confuses you?" She shook her head and shrugged. "Oh, hush! You're worrying too much now! Water under the bridge! Let's just move on already!" She placed her hands on her hips and frowned at him. "We have some fighting to do! Fight, fight, fight! Yeah! I'm so pumped up! Let's do this!"

"Okay, but what's the point?"

"Jeez, what's with all the questions?" she complained. "Now you wanna know why I wanna fight you to begin with? How many times am I gonna have to repeat it all!?" she asked. "I just wanna! I feel it! Down to my bones! I need to do this or else I'll keep feeling restless!" she shouted.

"Huh!?" Takumi tensed up.

"Let's just shut up and fight now, okay!? Ready!? 3… 2… 1… GO!" Rina cried as she sent Veevee forward without warning. "Veevee!"

"Okay, Rina!" the UlforceV-dramon nodded as he extended his beam sword from his V Bracelet. "Ulforce Saber!"

Takumi jumped back as he sent out three of his Digimon to defend himself. "Chaosmon!"

"Tyrant Bisection Sword!" the Jogressed Digimon used his BAN-TYO Blade to deflect Veevee's attack.

Veevee backed up and immediately charged up his V-shaped chest plate. "Shining V Force!" All of Takumi's Digmon flinched so the blue Royal Knight used the opening to land another attack as his body became encased by a dragon aura. "Dragon Impulse X!"

"He's too fast!" Takumi frowned as he knew Veevee's speed was going to be an obstacle. He didn't expect it to be this overwhelming though. "Imperialdramon Fighter Mode! Ion Blaster!"

The large Dragon Man's dragon-headed chest plate opened as he fired bolts of energy at Veevee. The shots missed but they soon exploded, indirectly damaging the speed demon.

Rosemon Burst Mode's mantle glowed as she amplified it before wrapping it around Veevee. "Charité!" She snapped her thorn whip at the blue Holy Knight but Veevee freed himself with his sword.

"Ulforce Saber!" Veevee circled around his opponents before charging up his strongest attack again. "Shining V Force!"

"End of Paradox!" Chaosmon countered it with his strange beam.

Takumi shook his head as he tried to come up with a good plan to seal the UlforceV-dramon's speed. His blue eyes darted around the battlefield as he was still a bit unfamiliar with his Digimon's new forms and attacks. That added on top of it being a while since he was in a battle made the situation a bit more hectic than he would have liked.

"Ion Blaster!" Imperialdramon Fighter Mode tried attacking again. Takumi watched as Veevee avoided each shot before they exploded behind him. Imperialdramon jumped up and stabbed his claws forward. "Imperial Crusher!" He then tried to kick Veevee away, but the blue Digimon raised his left arm.

"Tense-great Shield!"

"Imperialdramon Fighter Mode!" Takumi called out. "Hikari no Barrier!" His Digimon obeyed by raising his right arm. The Positron Laser glowed with energy as it also created a shield. But instead of using it for defense, Imperialdramon sealed Veevee within the barrier, trapping him. "Xros Combo!"

Imperialdramon Fighter Mode didn't hesitate as he fired his cannon as a weapon. "Positron Laser!"

"Dark Prominence!" Chaosmon fired his Gigastick Cannon after his ally dropped Veevee from the barrier trap.

"Aguichant Lèvres!" Rosemon Burst Mode blew a kiss at Veevee, releasing hearts to overwhelm the Royal Knight with lasers.

Rina frowned as her partner crashed into the ground in front of her. "Man," she looked up at Takumi, "you're strong… Wow. That was a really great fight. I… have nothing left to pass onto you, my… student." She sighed. "Now you're… the master. Go, leave me…" she coughed a few times and closed her eyes.

"Rina…" Takumi placed his hands on his hips and stared at her. "I still don't get the point of this fight."

The girl smiled up at him. "You still wanna know why I challenged you today?" She laughed and shook her head before giving him a shrug. "Who cares? Don't think so deeply about it. It's boring to give a reason for everything, isn't it?"

"But I'm a detective," Takumi pointed out. "It's what I do!"

"I just wanted to test my strength against you and see who's stronger," she finally told him. "That's all! That's what fights are about and what getting stronger's all about too! Comparing yourself to others and seeing who's really better!" She grinned at him and shook her head in amazement. "Whewwww, you really are one tough customer, Takumi. Seeing that for myself is all the reward I need!"

"I'm that strong, huh?" Takumi managed to put on a crooked smile.

"Well, that's all the time I have for today!" Rina exclaimed. "I'm gonna go now! Catch you later!"

Takumi watched her leave and blinked a few times in confusion. "Was that seriously it?"

Rina soon ran back to him and smirked. "I see that look on your face. You're wondering what the point of it all is. There is one, but I'm not telling!" she diabolically laughed as she placed her hands on her hips.

Takumi closed his eyes and sighed as he scratched his cheek. "So… did you figure out when you would be going back to your own world yet?" he asked. As he expected though, Rina didn't answer as she continued to laugh at him.

* * *

"Ah, so she was after a fight with you to see which of you is stronger," Kyoko crossed her arms and nodded. "Hmm… You know, deep down, I bet she's worried about how our own world is doing these days and was looking for her own way to express that. Maybe she wanted to test you to see if you were up to the job of helping keep this place in one piece." The detective chuckled as she brought her hand up to her mouth. "Well, I might be a little biased here given the present company, but you kids have really turned out to be quite something."

"But I've already proved that," Takumi pointed out with a frown. "I think you're thinking a bit too deeply into this, Kyoko-san. Rina is pretty much the most straightforward, if not most random, person I've ever met."

"That being said, I agree with her thoughts on trying find a reason for everything," Kyoko stated. "I'm not too fond of dwelling on such stuff, either." She fondly looked up at her assistant. "The world's just too full of things that can't be solved with pure reason to value it too highly in my book," she chuckled.

"That's true…" Takumi knit his eyebrows together as he smiled at his boss.

"Now, if only we could all be as unabashedly encouraging as Rina…" Kyoko smirked at him. "Let's be grateful she's on our side. Good work as always, Takumi."

"Ah… It's been a long time since I've heard that from you," Takumi grinned. He raised his right fist into the air and let out a cheer. "Alright, Kyoko-san! Ever onward into the limitless future with a promise of an unseen tomorrow that can't be erased by today!"

"Just what are you going about now?" Kyoko asked with a chuckle.

* * *

~GREAT~CHALLENGE~1~

 _Client: Mikagura Mirei_

 _Place: DigiLab_

 _Details: You won against Rina. You're definitely getting stronger! Do you want to test your strength again?_

"I hear you beat Rina and UlforceV-dramon," Mirei raised an eyebrow as she watched Takumi reorganize his DigiFarms.

"Yeah, I did," Takumi nodded with a crooked smile on his face.

"It seems you're much stronger than before…" the woman noted with a nod. "I might have a few pointers for you."

"Pointers?" the boy curiously looked up from his terminal.

"I have fought so many powerful Digimon now…" Mirei smirked. "I have tried to make a 'copy' that goes beyond even their strength. How would you like to try a battle to test out your skills?"

"Hmm…" Takumi knit his eyebrows together as he stared at the ground.

Mirei chuckled at how serious he was. "Well, the choice is yours, but if you win, there could be an awesome prize in it for you…"

The Cyber Sleuth looked up at that. "Alright, then. I'm in," he nodded.

Satisfied with his decision, Mirei sat back in her seat and pushed up her glasses. "The first person you should talk to is in the Zaxon Forum. If you are interested, by all means make your way there."

* * *

Fei crossed her arms and frowned at the two golden Digimon speeding around the Zaxon base. "Y'all are makin' a right mess o' things," she sighed as TigerVespamon couldn't keep up with them. She shook her head and was about to call Yuuko for backup but noticed someone entering the forum room. "Huh?" she blinked at the red-haired boy. "Why if it ain't the Cyber Sleuth…"

"Hey, Fei," Takumi smiled at her before looking up at the copy of a golden Royal Knight coming to a halt. "Eh!? I'm supposed to fight Magnamon!?"

"What's this about a fight now?" Fei frowned at him. "Don't tell me it's yer fault these Digimon are here," she narrowed her eyes.

"I guess it is," the Cyber Sleuth nervously chuckled. "Don't worry. I'll take care of this myself. Although…" his blue eyes scanned over the golden Rapidmon standing at Magnamon's side, "I've never seen that version of Rapidmon before… Armor level, huh?"

"Y'all better hurry up before they wreck the place," Fei stated as she decided to leave this fight to him. "If ya don't, I'll thrash ya'll myself before handin' yer hide over to Yuuko-han."

"Well, I can't have that now," Takumi smiled. "Okay!" he cried out as he had SaintGalgomon, Imperialdramon Fighter Mode, and SaberLeomon out. "Let's get this battle started!"

Magnamon flexed his body and nodded. "I accept the challenge!"

Rapidmon (Armor) pointed his arm cannons at SaintGalgomon. "I will show you just how big a difference there is between us!"

"We won't lose!" Takumi exclaimed.

"Rapid Fire!"

"Burst Shot!"

Both dog-based Cyborg Digimon took off into the air to host their own firearms battle. Imperialdramon made to join them, but Takumi quickly called for him to focus on Magnamon instead. "Use your Ion Blaster!"

Magnamon summoned a swarm of glowing spheres around him. "Plasma Shoot!" he countered the exploding shots.

SaberLeomon pounced on the low flying Armor Digimon. "Nail Crusher!"

The golden Digimon blocked the attack as best as he could with his tough armor before attacking again. "Magnum Kick!" With the lion Digimon thrown off of him, he took off higher into the air to rejoin Rapidmon (Armor).

Takumi studied both Digimon carefully before calling at tactical retreat. "They're about to attack! Put up your guards!"

The Armor Digimon glowed in an intense gold light as they released all of their power into a huge explosion and laser beam. "Extreme Jihad!"

"Golden Triangle!"

Imperialdramon Fighter Mode brought his arms up to cover his eyes as he tried to dig his feet into the ground. SaintGalgomon did the same as SaberLeomon hid behind the two great warriors. Takumi shielded his vision using his goggles and when the light finally cleared, he had SaberLeomon use his other senses to quickly take down Rapidmon (Armor). "Infinity Arrow!"

The gold cyborg fell to the ground while Magnamon brushed off the sharp hairs. His body began to glow again as he performed another attack to wipe out Takumi's team. "Shining Gold Solar Storm!"

Takumi flinched as his team was swept away by the explosively expanding space. Golden laser beams also surrounded his Digimon and the Cyber Sleuth quickly reached into his bag for a recovery spray. "Everyone!" SaintGalgomon and Imperialdramon Fighter Mode slowly rose to their feet and resumed fighting, but SaberLeomon winced as he tried to join them. "SaberLeomon, switch out with Rosemon!" While he waited for his Digimon to load, the boy knit his eyebrows together as he tried to figure out a way to skirt Magnamon's high defenses.

"Positron Laser!"

"Giant Missile!"

Takumi shook his head as Magnamon easily brushed aside the shots and summoned more glowing orbs. "Plasma Shoot!"

Finally Rosemon was out and Takumi checked her arsenal again. "Use Forbidden Temptation!"

The Fairy Digimon smirked as her Tifaret jewel shone as it grew, overtaking her body. A large blooming rose surrounding her and when it opened up, destructive pollen drifted out of it and towards Magnamon. The Armor Digimon became slightly paralyzed as the pollen corroded his data but SaintGalgomon and Imperialdramon Fighter Mode quickly used his weakened defenses to their advantage.

"Burst Shot!"

"Giga Death!"

Takumi let out a sigh of relief when Magnamon collapsed to the ground in defeat. "Alright, team!" He laughed as his Digimon returned to him. "You all did great."

Fei applauded the boy's efforts. "Well, y'all ain't half bad…" she smirked. "I guess I can see what Yuuko-han sees in y'all."

The Cyber Sleuth sheepishly chuckled and scratched his burning cheek. "Aw, thanks, Fei."

"But I still can't say I approve," she frowned at him. "Now git out of our base before I kick y'all out," Fei told him. "I need to make this place presentable for when Yuuko-han visits."

"Yikes!" Takumi dodged back as TigerVespamon prepared her Royal Meisters. "A-alright then… I-I'll catch you around, Fei!" he cried as he left the Zaxon Forum. "Sorry for the mess!"

* * *

Kyoko smirked at the file Takumi handed her. "That was some pretty stiff opposition you were up against," she nodded.

"Y-yeah…" Takumi nervously chuckled.

"Rest well now," the detective told him. "You've earned it."

"Right," the boy nodded.

"Although…" she chuckled as she crossed her arms, "Mirei sent in another case, if you're interested. It looks like a follow up, so once you're ready, get to it."

"Ah…" Takumi worriedly looked up at his case board. "U-understood…"

* * *

~GREAT~CHALLENGE~2~

 _Client: Mikagura Mirei_

 _Place: DigiLab_

 _Details: You easily defeated Magnamon… The next one won't be so easy!_

Mirei chuckled at the Cyber Sleuth returning to the DigiLab. "Looks like you beat Magnamon," she stated in satisfaction. "Right then, next up… go to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. You definitely won't be disappointed!"

"Eh…?" Takumi frowned. "A-alright then…"

* * *

The Cyber Sleuth blinked at the lobby of the Metropolitan Government Building. "Huh… I'm surprised people aren't really freaking out about how the place is in a constant shift. Well, Yuugo did buy out the building so that we can keep a close eye on the entire city's Digital Line… It's also a good place to build that terminal connecting the Digital World to our world. But anyway…" He looked around for the Digimon he was to challenge but flinched when a brown Royal Knight with white-feathered wings descended before him. "Duftmon!?"

"I am a master of strategy," the Holy Knight stated, swinging his rapier down. "Have a taste of this!"

Takumi jumped back as Darkdramon emerged from his Digivice. "Gigastick Lance!" The navy-blue Cyborg deflected Duftmon's blade before charging his lance with dark matter. "Dark Roar!"

Duftmon winced as he was blasted backwards. "Extinction Wave!"

Omegamon Zwart D and Imperialdramon Fighter Mode countered the wave with their cannons. "Garuru Cannon!"

"Positron Laser!"

Darkdramon weaved between the two large Digimon before stunning Duftmon. "Terrible Gaze!" With the Royal Knight unable to move, he quickly thrust his lance forward. "Demon Stab!"

Duftmon staggered backwards but got into a defensive stance before the three Digimon could finish him off. Charging his sword with explosive energy, he suddenly stabbed it forward. "Ernste Welle!"

Imperialdramon Fighter Mode took the beam head-on as Omegamon Zwart D darted forward from his side. "Grey Sword!"

Duftmon deflected the great blade with a swift flick of his wrist before cutting an arc again. "Aussterben!"

Darkdramon ducked the energy wave as he charged up his Gigastick Lance. "Dark Roar!" Both attacks collided, resulting in an explosion that kicked up the lobby's furniture.

When everything finally settled, Takumi cautiously looked around for any sign of Duftmon. He knit his eyebrows together as everything seemed clear. He jumped back though as the ground underneath him erupted into pillars. "Wolkenkratzer!"

Takumi rolled to the side and spotted a four-legged Digimon darting around the lobby. "Over there! Omegamon Zwart D, stop him!"

"Double Torrent!" The Black Berserker slammed both his arms into the ground to disrupt the Digimon's movement.

As their opponent tripped over the shockwaves of fire and ice, Takumi quickly scanned the Digimon. "Duftmon Leopard Mode…" He knit his eyebrows together as the brown Royal Knight quickly regained his balance and made to pounce on him.

"Blockade!"

Darkdramon quickly intercepted the lion-like Digimon before Duftmon Leopard could harm Takumi. "Gigastick Lance!" He threw the four-legged Digimon off of him and made to charge into the Royal Knight. He stopped through as his opponent's tail began to glow.

"Eroberung!" Globe-shaped mines appeared in the air and they detonated when Darkdramon got near.

Imperialdramon Fighter Mode quickly projected a shield from his arm cannon. "Hikari no Barrier!"

"Garuru Cannon!" Omegamon Zwart D fired at the rest of the mines to dispose of them. He tried aiming for the Royal Knight but the speedy lion-leopard dodged every attack.

"He's too fast!" Takumi cried out. "Imperialdramon Fighter Mode! Reload! Omegamon Zwart D! Partition!"

The Ancient Dragon Man nodded as he returned into the Cyber Sleuth's Digivice. Omegamon Zwart D's body glowed as he split back into his MetalGarurumon (Black) and WarGreymon counterparts. Although the Digimon's size was quickly diminished, they made up for it with speed. MetalGarurumon (Black) let out a howl as he chased down Duftmon Leopard Mode.

"Eroberung!" The brown Royal Knight summoned more mines, but they didn't do much to deter the determined wolf.

"Blizzard Wolf Claw!"

While the Cyborg Digimon distracted the strategic knight, BlackWarGreymon and Darkdramon charged up their attacks. "Ankoku no Gaia Force!"

"Dark Roar!"

Duftmon Leopard Mode was bit by both large spheres of energy and matter before collapsing in defeat. Takumi carefully watched the Digimon for a while he finally relaxed. "Alright!" the boy jumped in triumph. "We did it!"

* * *

"I'm home!" Takumi grinned as he returned to the agency.

"Welcome home," Kyoko nodded at him before she noticed his satisfied smile. "Oh? Did you defeat another difficult opponent?" she smirked.

"Yeah, it was a copy of Duftmon this time," the boy chuckled.

"Copy or not, that was truly a fateful opponent to have…" she nodded. "Rest easy. You've worked hard enough for one day."

"Thanks…" Her assistant happily sank into the sofa. "Ah… I'm so tired and hungry…" He blinked as he smelled something burning in the kitchen. "Did you make more coffee?" Takumi asked with a smile.

"I just prepared a new batch in case you needed it," the detective chuckled. "Consider it a reward for a job well done."

"Awesome!" Takumi jumped to his feet before pouring himself a cup.

* * *

~GREAT~CHALLENGE~3~

 _Client: Mikagura Mirei_

 _Place: DigiLab_

 _Details: That was easy for you, too, huh? Just don't get too cocky… I'm not impressed yet._

"It looks like you beat Duftmon," Mirei nodded in approval. "Right then, next up… go to Cron's fifth level. You definitely won't be disappointed!"

"Cron's fifth level…" Takumi crossed his arms. "As I recall, I faced Craniummon there…" He nodded to himself before taking off. "Alright, let's go!"

* * *

Takumi blinked when he saw Sleipmon and Craniummon together. "Two at once…?" he worriedly frowned. "Well… let's give this a shot."

"Are you challenging me?" Sleipmon smirked at the approaching Cyber Sleuth. "This should be fun…"

"Show me this strength of yours!" Craniummon roared as he lifted his Claíomh Solais above his head. "End Waltz!"

Takumi brought his arms up to cover his ears as he sent his Data Digimon forward. "GrandLocomon! Keep him busy while Rosemon Burst Mode and SaberLeomon take care of Sleipmon!"

"Limited Express Attack!" The great train rammed into Craniummon, toppling the great knight over.

"Not here…" Sleipmon shook his head as he quickly raised his speed and took off.

SaberLeomon roared as he chased the six-legged Holy Knight down. "Nail Crusher!"

Rosemon Burst Mode flew after them too before snapping her thorny whip at Sleipmon, in the hopes of stopping him. "Tifaret!" More glowing jewels appeared to barrage the Royal Knight, but Sleipmon had prepared a counter to aid in his escape.

"Tactic-smear!" He jumped up and kicked his legs at his two opponents before retreating back a little. With the two Digimon still down, he pointed his holy bow at them. "Bifröst!"

GrandLocomon quickly intercepted the attack with his densely armored body before firing his spiked wheel into the air. "Destroyed Crash!"

Sleipmon flinched backwards but SaberLeomon was prepared for him. "Infinity Arrow!"

The speedy Royal Knight frowned as his body slowed down due to the hair's venom. SaberLeomon prepared to fire another layer of pointed hair from his mane, but Sleipmon struggled to raise his shield. "Odin's Breath!" A blizzard erupted from Niflhiemr, blowing away some of the poisonous needles. He raised his Múspellsheimr towards SaberLeomon and began charging it up. "Bifröst!"

SaberLeomon jumped back as Rosemon Burst Mode's whip wrapped itself around Sleipmon's arm, causing the Royal Knight to miss. "Aguichant Lèvres!" The Fairy Digimon blew a kiss and the resultant hearts surrounded the six-legged Holy Knight Digimon with lasers.

As soon as the hearts cleared, SaberLeomon pounced forward with his claws out. "Nail Crusher!"

With one opponent down, Takumi smiled as there was no way Craniummon could keep up with their speed. "Let's regroup with GrandLocomon and finish this!" Looking towards his train, he noticed Craniummon was doing his best to stop the charging Digimon with his spear.

GrandLocomon noticed SaberLeomon and Rosemon Burst Mode coming to his side so forcefully pushed the purple Royal Knight back. "Limited Express Attack!"

"Tifaret!"

"Infinity Arrow!"

Craniummon skidded to a halt before raising his Avalon Shield to block all attacks. "God Bless!" He was left without a scratch so quickly raised his spear above his head again. "End Waltz!"

The two smaller Digimon hid behind GrandLocomon and waited for the Royal Knight to lose his balance. Takumi nodded to them when Craniummon staggered back. "Xros Combo!"

"Aguichant Lèvres!"

"Destroyed Crash!"

"Nail Crusher!"

The Cyber Sleuth closed his eyes and took a deep breath, relieved he managed to clear yet another trial. "These battles will only get more difficult from here on out," he mused. "Well… we'll take them as they come."

* * *

~GREAT~CHALLENGE~4~

 _Client: Mikagura Mirei_

 _Place: DigiLab_

 _Details: You won again! You're getting really good. The next Digimon are those guys._

"Those guys…?" Takumi tilted his head to the side.

Mirei chuckled at the curious boy. "It looks like you beat Sleipmon and Craniummon. Right then, next up… go to the Roppongi Underground Research Lab."

The Cyber Sleuth tensed up at that. "There!?"

"You won't be disappointed!" the woman reassured him.

"Disappointment has nothing to do with this!" the boy knit his eyebrows together as he could only imagine which Royal Knight copy was awaiting him there. He shuddered at such thoughts but sighed as his next opponent shouldn't be as bad as the real thing.

* * *

Takumi tensed up as he saw the familiar pink Royal Knight ahead of him. "As I thought…" he nervously chuckled. "It's LordKnightmon…" He blinked at the white draconic Digimon at her side. "And she's with Dynasmon…" He called out his team and nodded to both Royal Knights. "Alright, we're ready!"

"An unwise challenge…" Dynasmon chuckled. "I accept!"

"Have you any idea how foolish you are?" LordKnightmon sneered at the boy. "I will show you! Spiral Masquerade!"

Takumi jumped back and sent Chaosmon forward to keep her busy. "Counter her with your BAN-TYO Blade! Omegamon Zwart D! ChaosDukemon! Take care of Dynasmon!"

Dynasmon laughed as he unleashed his draconic aura against them. "Breath of Wyvern!"

Both dark knights blocked against the attack and watched the white Royal Knight damage himself in the process. Omegamon Zwart D revealed his blade as ChaosDukemon raised his Balmung. "Grey Sword!"

"Spiral Wailer!"

Dynasmon flinched as both Virus Digimon cornered him. His hands began to glow with energy and he fired energy shots at them. "Dragon's Roar!"

LordKnightmon also went to help him by charging her Pile Bunker. "Urgent Fear!"

ChaosDukemon caught her attack on his shield before charging up Gorgon. "Judecca Prison!" A corrosive beam erupted from his black shield, launching the pink Royal Knight back.

Chaosmon used this opening to quickly pull her away from Dynasmon. "End of Paradox!"

Dynasmon roared before charging towards the Vaccine. "Breath of Wyvern!" He growled as once again, but Takumi's Virus Digimon quickly shielded Chaosmon. The white Holy Knight Digimon winced as his attack used up more of his energy. He noticed though that all of Takumi's team was gathered in one area so began condensing the energy of the lab onto a focal point. "Dragon Collider!"

"Everyone, guard it!" Takumi called out as an explosion erupted in the center of the room. He flinched from the searing heat and quickly reached into his bag for a recovery spray. When the attack finally died down, he ran towards his team to check on their condition.

LordKnightmon had been waiting for this moment though so quickly rose up to attack the Cyber Sleuth. "Urgent Fear!"

Takumi ducked her arm before throwing a patch and speed booster at his closest Digimon. "ChaosDukemon!"

The Dark Knight Digimon let out a fierce yell as he thrust his javelin forward. "Cruel Balmung!" The pink Royal Knight was sent flying and ChaosDukemon made to go after her, but paused when he spotted Dynasmon coming towards him.

"Dragon's Roar!"

"Waking Dead!" ChaosDukemon surrounded himself in a sphere of protective energy. He smirked as Dynasmon tried to break through to no avail.

During that time, Omegamon Zwart D rose to his feet and raised his arm cannon at the white Royal Knight. "Garuru Cannon!"

"Alright! Now to take care of LordKnightmon!" Takumi called out. "Go! Chaosmon!"

"Dark Prominence!" Chaosmon fired his Gigastick Cannon a few times at the tenacious Virus Digimon.

"Spiral Masquerade!" LordKnightmon tried to attack but Omegamon Zwart D and ChaosDukemon countered her sash blades with their weapons. "Urgent Fear!" She tried striking them away but ChaosDukemon adamantly barred her. Looking between her three opponents, LordKnightmon frowned as she was completely surrounded.

"Alright, everyone! Let's go!" Takumi nodded.

"Grey Sword!"

"Demon's Disaster!" ChaosDukemon brutally jabbed his Balmung into their opponent with a barrage of blows.

"Tyrant Bisection Sword!" Chaosmon finished the battle by decisively slicing through LordKnightmon with his BAN-TYO Blade.

Takumi watched as the copies of both Royal Knights disappeared. "Another two down," he nodded to himself. He paused as he received a phone call on his Digivice. "Hello?"

"Oh, I finally got through," Yuuko sighed in relief. After a while, she glared at him and began scolding him. "Just what do you think you're doing disrupting Kamishiro with your battles against the Royal Knights?"

"Hm?" Takumi blinked at her. "Is something wrong?"

"Fei told me about how you fought Magnamon in the Zaxon Forum," the raven-haired girl coolly frowned at him. "And at the Metropolitan Government Building, Onii-chan found footage of you fighting Duftmon in the _lobby_. And now, I'm picking up your Digivice's signal in the Roppongi Laboratory." She narrowed her eyes on him. "You're not making a mess of the lab too, are you?"

Takumi nervously looked around at the ravaged lab. "Um… The equipment seems… fine… I think…" he meekly replied.

"Is that really so?" she asked him.

"I'm… positive…" he hesitantly nodded.

"Hmm…" a voice at his side made Takumi jump.

"Y-yuugo!" Takumi blinked at the boy who suddenly appeared in the room. He tensed up as he spotted Mugendramon locking his cannons on him. "H-hey! W-wait! I didn't do anything!"

"You fought a difficult opponent, didn't you?" Yuugo chuckled at the tired Cyber Sleuth and his team. "It must have been an exciting battle since you were able to win and see how much you've improved."

"Onii-chan!" Yuuko frowned at her older brother. "Don't be so lenient with him!"

"It's alright, Yuuko," the raven-haired boy nodded. "The terminal seems intact. Besides… Even if I wanted to teach Takumi a lesson, I doubt Mugendramon would want to fight him. And you know first-hand how strong he's gotten. I'd say he's long surpassed me at this point."

"R-really…?" Takumi blushed at his hero's praise. "That means a lot coming from you, Yuugo…"

"Well, it's true," Yuugo chuckled at the redhead. "It's also very reassuring to know that I can count on the person I'm entrusting my sister to."

"Ah…" the Cyber Sleuth goofily grinned as he scratched the back of his head. "Th-thank you…"

"Onii-chan…!" Yuuko's face went red at that before she glared at Takumi. "Don't you dare let that go to your head!"

The blue-eyed teen's smile never wavered as he let out a shaky laugh. "I won't…" He quickly cleared his throat that as he became serious again. "Well anyway, I'm finished here. I'd better report my results to the agency before starting up on my next case."

Yuugo nodded to him with a calm smile on his face. "You should tell us where your next fight will be, Takumi."

"Huh!?" Takumi blinked at him in surprise.

"I'm sure it will be a good show for both the hacker and tamers to watch," the older boy stated.

"Eh…?" the redhead knit his eyebrows together at the thought of being scrutinized in a fight.

Yuuko brought a hand up to her mouth. "Hmm… That's right… Perhaps then I can finally come up with a way to restore Zaxon's pride by defeating you…"

"Arata and Nokia would want to join in as well," Yuugo nodded, crossing his arms. "I'm also curious to see whose team is the strongest. Is it Zaxon, Rebellions, Jude, or the Kuremi Detective Agency's Cyber Sleuth?"

"Eh!?" Takumi blinked at both siblings before sighing at how he got into this mess. "Even when I'm not part of a hacker team, I somehow wind up in a hacking war…" he lamented.

* * *

~GREAT~CHALLENGE~5~

 _Client: Mikagura Mirei_

 _Place: DigiLab_

 _Details: You made that look like a piece of cake. I don't have much left to challenge you… How about a trip to Odaiba?_

"Looks like you beat Dynasmon and LordKnightmon," Mirei smirked. "Right then, next up… go to Odaiba Bay. You definitely won't—"

"Yeah," Takumi nodded with a smile. "I won't be disappointed, I know." He rubbed the back of his neck and frowned. "I'm only halfway done with the Royal Knights and now I have to worry about my friends harassing me…"

"Oh, would you like to give up on your challenges?" Mirei teasingly asked.

The Cyber Sleuth shook his head. "At this point, Kyoko-san won't let me. She says me being this strong is great advertisement for the agency…" The teenager chuckled to himself as he prepared for his fight. "Well, work is work, so it's not that bad."

"I'm glad you understand," the woman chuckled as she pushed her glasses up. "Your fate has already been decided when it comes to these challenges, so hurry to Odaiba. I look forward to seeing your results."

* * *

"Whoa…!" Arata's eyes widened at the sight of Examon. "That's some monster! There aren't even any Eaters on it this time!" He lowered his gaze towards the small boy standing on the helipad. "You guys think Takumi can take it on all by himself?"

Nokia crookedly grinned as they watched from afar. "I remember the last time we faced it, it was too strong! And then you had to be an idiot, Arata!" she frowned at the older boy.

"Oh, shut up," Arata glared at her. "In the end, it was me and Takumi who defeated Examon."

"After Takumi and I weakened him," Yuuko pointed out.

"Now, now…" Yuugo nervously chuckled. "Aren't we all here to see Takumi's strength? It'd be better for him if we cheered him on instead of arguing amongst ourselves." He flinched as Nokia began yelling.

"Hey! Takumi! You'd better not lose!" she screamed at the red-haired boy.

"Yeah!" Arata shouted at the top of his lungs. "You beat me before, so you'd better not lose to anything, you hear?"

Yuugo brought his hand up to his head when he noticed Takumi sighing. "I said to cheer him on, but… maybe we're also a bit of a distraction… What do you think, Yuuko?" He blinked at the girl fixedly staring at Takumi's Digimon. "Yuuko?"

The quiet girl clenched her fists before calling out to Takumi. "After you win, let's go tour Odaiba's restaurants!"

Takumi perked up at that and waved to his friends. "You've got it!" He enthusiastically looked at his team and nodded. "Okay, now we definitely can't afford to lose!" Examon let out a roar before flapping his great wings and lifting himself into the air. Takumi raised his arm and sent his team of Virus Digimon after him. "Xros Combo!"

"Dark Roar!"

"Garuru Cannon!"

"Chaos Shot!"

Arata crossed his arms and smirked. "Already starting off with a bang," he nodded. "That's just like him."

"Hey, Arata, you're in my way," Nokia craned her neck to get a better view. "By the way, how come we're here on this rooftop and not where Takumi is?"

Examon fired a beam from the tip of his Ambrosius at the helipad. "Pendragon's Glory!"

"Oh…" Nokia crookedly grinned as Takumi dodged out of the way before ChaosDukemon used his shield to protect the boy. "That's why…"

"Judecca Prison!"

"Grey Sword!"

Examon roared as he rose higher into the atmosphere. Yuugo lifted his gaze and knit his eyebrows together as he couldn't see the large dragon anymore. "What attack is this?"

Arata shook his head. "This one's a doozy…"

Yuuko looked down at the battling Cyber Sleuth and noticed he was completely tense. "What's going to happen?"

"Everyone, scatter into the sky and guard yourselves!" Takumi cried out to his Virus Digimon. His blue eyes widened as he sensed Examon making his crash descent. "Here he comes! Data team, get ready for battle!" he fidgeted with his Digivice.

"Dragonic Impact!" Examon yelled as he rammed his body into the three Digimon, forcing them to reload into the Digivice. In their place, SaberLeomon, Rosemon Burst Mode, and GrandLocomon were forced into battle.

"Ah…" Yuugo nodded as Takumi's second team quickly fell into a good flow. "So he prepped his team accordingly so that when they were forcibly switched, his standby Digimon wouldn't be disoriented by the sudden battle arrangement. He's very good."

"Even if you say that, what's with him using GrandLocomon and SaberLeomon in what's essentially an aerial battle?" Arata frowned.

Takumi loaded a few recovery items into his Digivice so his Virus team could refresh themselves. "Data Team! Go all out! Xros Combo!"

SaberLeomon jumped onto GrandLocomon as the train picked up speed. The lion leapt into the air with his claws ready. "Nail Crusher!"

"Limited Express Attack!"

Rosemon Burst Mode blew a kiss at the large dragon. "Aguichant Lèvres!"

"Avalon's Gate!" Examon tried to knock them aside with his lance before rising into the air again.

"Guards up!" Takumi cried as he expected another Dragonic Impact. His eyes widened though as a laser beam came down from the sky.

"Pendragon's Glory!"

"What an unfair attack," Nokia frowned.

"No," Yuuko shook her head. "Using your environment and resources to your advantage is key to winning any battle. If I were Examon, I'd use the clouds for cover for as long as I can until Takumi and his Digimon are worn out. Then when he least expects it, I'd deliver the finishing blow."

"What a cowardly way to fight," Arata stated. "A dragon that powerful should take out Takumi in the flashiest way as possible! That means nonstop Dragonic Impacts!"

"It'd be a lot faster if Examon would just keep trying to poke the roof with his spear-thing!" Nokia exclaimed. "Eventually, he'd have nowhere to go!"

Yuugo knit his eyebrows together at his sister and friends. "I thought we were here to support Takumi… not come up with ways to torture him."

The three others blinked at the quiet boy. "But Takumi will be fine," Nokia shrugged.

Arata crossed his arms and nodded. "He always has something up his sleeve anyways."

Yuuko brought her hand up to her mouth and chuckled. "I wonder how he'll exceed my expectations this time."

Takumi noticed the laser dissipating but he jumped out of the way as Examon stabbed Ambrosius into the roof. "Avalon's Gate!" Viruses leaked out from his lance and Takumi quickly had Rosemon Burst Mode take care of them.

"Aguichant Lèvres!"

Examon rose up into the sky again and Takumi rolled to the side as another laser dropped down on him. "Pendragon's Glory!" The laser was only short-lived though as Examon dive-bombed the three Data Digimon. "Dragonic Impact!"

"Virus team, get ready!" Takumi grit his teeth together as his Data team was forcefully swapped out.

"Terrible Gaze!" Darkdramon paralyzed Examon momentarily with his gauntlet, giving Omegamon Zwart D and ChaosDukemon the perfect opening.

"Garuru Cannon!"

"Demon's Disaster!" ChaosDukemon fired a beam from his lance's tip.

Examon roared as he collapsed onto the roof in defeat. Arata chuckled at the results. "Like we could have expected anything else…" He raised his voice to call over to the triumphant teen. "Hey! Takumi! Good job!"

"Thanks!" Takumi grinned at them. "Hey, hey, Yuuko! We can go eat now, right!? I'm star—" he suddenly passed out from exhaustion.

"Takumi!?" Nokia and Yuuko cried out in surprise.

Yuugo shook his head at the younger boy. "Oh dear… He must have overexerted himself…"

* * *

Kyoko raised an eyebrow at the group of teenagers dragging her assistant back to her office. "Oh? What happened?"

"I beat… the copy of Examon…" Takumi chuckled. He winced as Arata unceremoniously dumped him onto the couch. "Ow…"

"Wait, it was only a copy?" Yuugo asked.

"It seemed to be as strong as the real Examon though," Yuuko nodded.

"That's a pretty scary copy…" Nokia crookedly smiled.

"Even if that was a copy," Kyoko smiled as she crossed her arms, "not just anyone could take down Examon at full strength…"

"And he didn't even have assistance this time," Arata frowned at the crazy powerful Cyber Sleuth.

Takumi chuckled at that. "Nope…"

"You've gotten really strong, Takumi," Kyoko praised him before smirking at his friends. "I'd say it's about time you all sharpened your skills and Digimon too. We can't have anyone falling behind now. Like my father taught me. 'Reject not those who come. Chase not those who leave. Those who will not work will not eat.' That's our agency's motto, you know."

The four teenagers tensed up at the woman's unsettling smile as Takumi sighed. "No… that's not it… Not at all…" he muttered, looking up at the agency's proper motto.

"Hmm…" Kyoko looked over towards her assistant. "You're probably right. After all, I just made a new blend and with everyone here, now's a good time as any to try it out."

"I'll go get the cups!" Takumi excitedly got up.

Nokia began to weep at the turn of events. "Kyoko-san! Stop trying to poison us with coffee!"

* * *

~GREAT~CHALLENGE~6~

 _Client: Mikagura Mirei_

 _Place: DigiLab_

 _Details: Perhaps you haven't fought these guys? They are evolved and very strong. Have fun!_

"Hmm…" Takumi crossed his arms as he considered the remaining Royal Knights he had to face.

"It looks like you beat Examon," Mirei stated. "Right then, next up… go to the Demon's Den. You definitely won't be disappointed!"

"Demon's… Den?" the Cyber Sleuth knit his eyebrows together. "Who could be there?"

* * *

Gankoomon roared as their opponent finally arrived. "I applaud your bravery in challenging us!"

"Eh!?" Takumi blinked at the coat-wearing Digimon in surprise. "Gankoomon and Jesmon!? You're both my opponents!?"

"All right," Jesmon stretched out his sword-like limbs, "let's go!"

"Omegamon Zwart D!" Takumi nodded to the black knight to strike first.

"Grey Sword!" He slashed his glowing red blade at the recently appointed Royal Knight, but Jesmon swung his tail up to deflect it.

"Darkdramon! ChaosDukemon! Support him!" Takumi called out.

Gankoomon let out a roar as he wasn't about to let himself remain on the sideline. "Striking With Fists!" he cried before his independent fire god spirit emerged behind him. Both Gankoomon and his Hinukamuy assaulted ChaosDukemon's shield with a barrage of punches.

The Dark Knight Digimon was pushed back before Darkdramon tried to aid him. "Gigastick Lance!"

ChaosDukemon brought his Balmung up. "Demon's Disaster!"

Gankoomon jumped back and let Jesmon charge forward. "Furrow-sword Judgment!" The young Royal Knight extended the blades on his arms.

"Garuru Cannon!" Omegamon Zwart D fired at Jesmon before the attack landed and ChaosDukemon rammed his Gorgon into their opponent.

"Judecca Prison!" The shield released a corrosive blast, knocking Jesmon back.

"Dark Roar!" Darkdramon finished off Jesmon before he could recover.

Gankoomon watched as his apprentice collapsed to the ground in defeat before he roared. "Jesmon!"

Takumi tensed up as the thug-like Digimon's fire spirit flared. "Uh-oh…"

"Earthquake! Lightning! Fire! Father!" Gankoomon exclaimed as Hinukamuy exploded out from the Digimon to punch one of Takumi's nearest team member.

"Omegamon Zwart D!" the boy's blue eyes widened as his black knight toppled backwards.

Darkdramon pointed his gauntlet towards Gankoomon. "Terrible Gaze!"

Taking advantage of their momentarily stunned opponent, ChaosDukemon charged into him with his glowing lance. "Duke Charge!" The Dark Knight Digimon pushed the Royal Knight back, giving Takumi the chance to reach Omegamon Zwart D's side.

The Cyber Sleuth quickly dug through his bag and took out a revival capsule. "What a devastating attack…" he knit his eyebrows together but shook his head. "Alright, Omegamon Zwart D, I think I have an idea on how to counter Gankoomon. For now though, let's get back into the battle!"

Omegamon Zwart D nodded as he stood back up and charged into the Royal Knight with his blade out. "Grey Sword!"

Gankoomon dodged the weapon before he lifted the ground beneath the great Digimon. "Flipping Table in Anger!" Omegamon Zwart D quickly took off into the air but the slabs of rock were suddenly launched past him, forcing Darkdramon and ChaosDukemon to scatter. Gankoomon used this chance to get close to the navy Cyborg with his fist pulled back. "Striking With Fists!"

"Gigastick Lance!" Darkdramon tried to deflect as many of the blows as he could but was unable to stop the barrage of punches.

"Darkdramon!" Takumi quickly reloaded him into his Digivice when he saw Hinukamuy preparing another attack. "ChaosDukemon, guard up! Omegamon Zwart D! Get ready!"

"Shield Destructer!" ChaosDukemon raised his Gorgon defensively while using it to support Omegamon Zwart D as the Black Berserker advanced while firing his cannon.

"Garuru Cannon!" When he was close enough, Omegamon Zwart D slammed both his fists into the ground to unleash powerful shockwaves to disrupt Gankoomon's upcoming attack. "Double Torrent!"

"Flipping Table in Anger!" Gankoomon used the attack to create a makeshift barricade before finally launching Hinukamuy forward in retaliation. "Earthquake! Lightning! Fire! Father!"

Omegamon Zwart D didn't flinch as he faced the attack again head-on. Takumi smirked as he quickly called out to the great knight. "Partition now!"

Hinukamuy missed as the Jogressed Digimon's main body split into his arms. MetalGarurumon (Black) howled and BlackWarGreymon roared as they started for the open Royal Knight. "Metal Fang!"

"Black Tornado!"

Gankoomon let out a dramatic cry as he flew backwards. The Royal Knight skidded on the ground before coming to a halt and Takumi watched Hinukamuy disappear. When he was certain both Royal Knights were defeated, the Cyber Sleuth let out a relieved sigh. "That makes ten…" He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Only three Royal Knights left," he nodded to himself as he opened his eyes.

* * *

~GREAT~CHALLENGE~7~

 _Client: Mikagura Mirei_

 _Place: DigiLab_

 _Details: You must be feeling proud of yourself. I still have more challenges for you. Can you win against those guys?_

"It looks like you beat Gankoomon and Jesmon," Mirei stated, noticing how serious Takumi appeared now. "Right then, next up… go to the Valhalla Server. You definitely won't be disappointed!"

"Under Zero…" Takumi clenched his right fist. "Dukemon, Omegamon, and Alphamon are the only ones who remain… Which combination of them will I face?"

* * *

"Eh!?" Takumi's blue eyes widened as he saw all three remaining Royal Knights lined up to face him. "Dukemon… Omegamon… and Alphamon…" He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. "Alright," he nodded as ChaosDukemon, Omegamon Zwart D, and Rosemon Burst Mode emerged behind him. "This is it, everyone!"

"As a knight, I cannot refuse a challenge!" Omegamon nodded, extending his Grey Sword.

The copy of Alphamon raised her right arm towards Takumi. "The honorable choice is probably to reconsider and step down, but…"

Dukemon chuckled as he prepared his Gram. "Even so, if you challenge us, we will show you no mercy. Attack us with all you've got!"

"We absolutely won't lose!" Takumi cried out as he signaled his team to charge.

"Duke Charge!" ChaosDukemon and Dukemon immediately went at it, charging at each other with their spears.

"Grey Sword!" Omegamon stabbed his blade forward as his dark decrepit counterpart jumped back.

"Garuru Cannon!" Omegamon Zwart D countered, keeping his distance from the Vaccine Digimon.

Rosemon Burst Mode flitted about as Alphamon summoned a glowing magic circle. "Digitalize of Soul!"

The Fairy Digimon quickly blew a kiss to summon her own lasers. "Aguichant Lèvres!"

"Omegamon Zwart D! Keep your distance until Alphamon or Dukemon is defeated! Rosemon Burst Mode! Use your Tifaret!" Takumi flinched when sparks began to fly from ChaosDukemon and Dukemon's duel. "ChaosDukemon! Demon's Disaster!"

ChaosDukemon roared as he repeatedly jabbed Dukemon with his Balmung. The contradictory Royal Knight blocked the blows with his shield before Aegis began to glow. "Final Elysion!"

ChaosDukemon quickly brought his Gorgon up. "Judecca Prison!" Both gallant knights pushed against each other before the Dark Knight Digimon began to let his attack weaken. The beam from Dukemon's Final Elysion collided into Gorgon, but Takumi smirked.

"Alright! Charge it up, ChaosDukemon!"

The black knight nodded as Gorgon began to gather more energy before channeling it into Balmung. "Chaos Shot!" Dukemon's eyes widened as his own attack turned against him. The defeated knight fell to the ground as ChaosDukemon triumphantly swung his lance in the air.

"No time to celebrate just yet!" Takumi cried. "Switch out with GrandLocomon!" The Cyber Sleuth flinched as Omegamon Zwart D fired his Garuru Cannon again. Glancing towards both Holy Knight Digimon, it appears that Omegamon was adamant about chasing down his dark shadow. Takumi shook his head before throwing a recovery patch and speed booster at his Digimon. "Keep it up, Omegamon Zwart D!"

The Black Berserker smirked as he forced Omegamon back with another attack. "Double Torrent!"

The white Holy Knight Digimon fell backwards but Alphamon quickly rushed to his aid. "Holy Sword Gradalpha!"

Rosemon Burst Mode snapped her thorny whip at the blade and sharply pulled the Royal Knight back. "Charité!" she circled around Alphamon and prepared to annihilate her, but the legendary Aloof Hermit quickly freed herself.

"Digitalize of Soul!"

"Garuru Cannon!" Omegamon Zwart D quickly fired before pulling Rosemon Burst Mode towards safety.

Omegamon managed to rise from the ground and he prepared to charge forward again. "Grey Sword!"

"GrandLocomon!" Takumi finished loading his Digimon from his Digivice and called the train out in the air. "Let's go!"

"Limited Express Attack!" GrandLocomon dive bombed straight into the white Holy Knight, effectively becoming a falling meteor. When he landed, the Ultimate train swerved around, clearing the path for Omegamon Zwart D.

Using his Grey Arm to hold his right arm steady, Omegamon Zwart D roared as he charged up his attack. "Garuru Cannon!"

Takumi smirked as Omegamon could no longer get up. "Now that just leaves…" he gulped as he faced the final Royal Knight, "Alphamon…"

The black-armored Digimon smirked as she charged towards Omegamon Zwart D with her sword. "Holy Sword Gradalpha!"

"Reload!" Takumi quickly recalled Omegamon Zwart D before the attack could land. "GrandLocomon! Rosemon Burst Mode! Go!"

"Tifaret!"

"Destroyed Crash!"

Alphamon easily avoided the attacks as she weaved between the jewels and fragmented wheel spikes. "Digitalize of Soul!"

Both of Takumi's active Digimon were knocked back, forcing the boy to apply a recovery spray. "Rosemon Burst Mode! Distract her with your Aguichant Lèvres!"

The Fairy Digimon nodded as she quickly circled around Alphamon, blowing a kiss at the black Royal Knight. GrandLocomon took his time getting back up before assisting his ally. "Limited Express Attack!"

Alphamon pushed against the speeding train as he rammed into her but noticed Takumi's third Digimon was finally ready. Takumi shook his head as he didn't want to give her the chance to retaliate. "Chaosmon! Tyrant Bisection Sword!"

Chaosmon rushed forward and tried to slice through her with his BAN-TYO Blade but frowned when Alphamon called for her own sword. "Holy Sword Gradalpha!" She quickly threw Chaosmon off before pointing her right hand towards GrandLocomon and Rosemon Burst Mode again. "Digitalize of Soul!"

Takumi flinched as all of his Digimon were blown back. "Everyone!" He tried to make his way towards them but gulped as Alphamon turned on him next. He clenched his fist and stood his ground as he called Omegamon Zwart D and ChaosDukemon back out. "This isn't over yet!" He pointed his right arm towards ChaosDukemon before calling out orders to Omegamon Zwart D. "Keep her busy while I prepare Imperialdramon Fighter Mode!"

With a nod, the Black Berserker rushed forward. "Double Torrent!"

Alphamon took off into the sky and swung her blade at Omegamon Zwart D. "Holy Sword Gradalpha!"

"Grey Sword!"

When ChaosDukemon was back to his Child level, Takumi pulled out a full revival spray and applied it to his three fallen Digimon before hacking GrandLocomon. "Chaosmon, Rosemon Burst Mode! Help Omegamon Zwart D!"

"Garuru Cannon!"

"Dark Prominence!"

"Tifaret!"

With V-mon and Wormmon ready, Takumi let out a fierce shout. "Warp Jogress!" Both Child level Digimon quickly combined into Imperialdramon before setting out to change from Dragon to Fighter Mode.

When he was ready, Imperialdramon raised his right arm and pointed his arm cannon at Alphamon. "Positron Laser!"

The black Royal Knight leapt back to dodge it as Takumi's Digimon regrouped around their tamer. With the boy's strongest Digimon gathered in one place, Alphamon decided to end things by summoning a large magic circle, from which she pulled Ouryuken from. "Ultimate Battle Blade Ouryuken!" she cried, charging towards the boy.

Takumi sent his team forward to counter her. "Xros Combo!"

"Splendor Blade!" Imperialdramon slashed at Alphamon with his claws as Rosemon circled the final Royal Knight.

"Charité!"

"Grey Sword!"

"Tyrant Bisection Sword!"

Omegamon and Chaosmon pushed against the heavy axe blade with all their might as Takumi narrowed his eyes on their opponent. "I almost forgot…" he chuckled at himself. "You might look and fight like her, but you're not the real Alphamon… Your Ouryuken is proof of that," he stated as the sword copy cracked under the pressure of his four Digimon cornering the Royal Knight. The Alphamon copy pushed harder against them, but finally her blade snapped. Takumi shook his head as he wasn't surprised. "I admit you're a very good copy of her, but to go so far as to emulate that blade was foolish…" he clenched his glowing right fist. "Because the Ouryuken was a blade forged through the unbreakable connection between the real Alphamon and me!" he exclaimed as he once again hacked his team into becoming the Ouryuken for himself. "Ultimate Battle Blade Ouryuken!" The Cyber Sleuth charged forth and cut down the imitation of his boss. He closed his eyes and smiled as he held out the heavy sword. He opened his eyes and chuckled to himself. "Not only am I your reliable assistant, but I'm also your ever faithful sword. I wonder how much of my original data was compatible with Ouryuken to begin with… Although… I guess you'd prefer it if I didn't alter myself this much… It really is a bit too tiring for me to keep up with..." He reloaded the sword into his Digivice and began reversing his Digimon's codes. He softly smiled as he brought his gloved hand to his heart before lifting his head up high in triumph he was able to conquer all of the Royal Knights.

* * *

"I'm home!" Takumi stated as he materialized out of EDEN and into the agency.

"Welcome home, Takumi," Kyoko smiled as she looked up from her computer. "So who did you face this time?"

"Omegamon, Dukemon, and…" he approached her desk proudly with a wide grin on his face, "you!"

"Oh?" the detective raised her eyebrow at him. "Judging from your expression, it looks like you emerged victorious."

"Of course!" Takumi nodded.

The blonde woman sat back in her chair and crossed her arms, all the while smirking at her assistant. "That was no pushover you just fought, but don't forget that the real thing is something else altogether now," she chuckled.

The boy's smile fell as he nervously tensed up. "D-don't tell me you want to challenge me yourself… I don't think I could…"

"Well, it wouldn't be _beyond_ your ability," Kyoko fondly smiled at him, "but I agree that it would be too much of a hassle to prove that theory. It's much easier for us to combine forces than it is otherwise. Isn't that right, my dear Watson?"

The redhead straightened up and gave her a determined nod. "Of course!"

* * *

~GREAT~CHALLENGE~8~

 _Client: Mikagura Mirei_

 _Place: DigiLab_

 _Details: Actually… Can I ask you something? Do you know the Omega Blade? This is the last challenge!_

"Omegamon, Alphamon, and Dukemon…" Mirei frowned at the Cyber Sleuth. "You're telling me you beat those three?"

"Of course!" Takumi nodded.

"That's amazing!" she smiled. "I'm sure you'll take Imperialdramon down no problem…"

"Imperialdramon?" He looked at the Digimon loaded into his Digivice.

She shook her head at him. "Imperialdramon Paladin Mode, the founder of the Royal Knights," she clarified herself. "He's in the Digital World. Go show him what you're made of!"

"The founder!?" Takumi blinked at her in surprise. He hadn't expected there to be another opponent beyond the thirteen knights he already defeated. He crossed his arms and quickly became serious. "Odds are he'll be a lot tougher than those Royal Knight copies. I'd better plan my team accordingly…"

* * *

Takumi stared up at the great knight clad in gleaming white armor. Imperialdramon Paladin Mode smiled at the human approaching him and quickly stabbed his large blade into the ground. "Do tell me of your fighting prowess, good sir," he nodded at the boy. "Please, show me this strength you boast of!"

The Cyber Sleuth quickly called out all nine of his Digimon. "Here we go!"

"Let our duel begin!" Imperialdramon Paladin Mode nodded as he created two copies of himself. "Break my illusion!" He sent the copies forward as he watched the battle unfold before him.

"Xros Combo!"

"Forbidden Temptation!"

"Blizzard Wolf Claw!"

"Gaia Force!"

"Destroyed Crash!"

"Dark Roar!"

"Infinity Arrow!"

"Burst Shot!"

"Atomic Ray!"

"Judecca Prison!"

The combination of attacks quickly took out the copies with ease before Imperialdramon Paladin Mode charged forward, leaving his sword behind him. "Splendor Blade!" He used his claws to slash at Takumi's Digimon before shooting blades of energy from each blow.

"Rosemon, GrandLocomon, SaberLeomon! You three take the lead!" Takumi ordered. "All Viruses stay in the rear! Everyone else, do whatever you can!"

"Ivy Hug!" Rosemon used the jungle around them to her advantage and restrained the Ancient Holy Knight Digimon.

With Imperialdramon Paladin Mode trapped, GrandLocomon and SaberLeomon led the others in their assault. "Limited Express Attack!"

"Nail Crusher!"

"Saint Tackle!"

"Copy Paste!"

The founder of the Royal Knights didn't retaliate as he took the attacks. The large Ancient Dragon Man closed his eyes and took a deep breath before exploding in a burst of power, throwing Takumi's Digimon off of him. He narrowed his eyes on the boy as he returned to his sword, lifting it from the ground. "Prepare yourself against the forefathers' sword!"

Takumi's eyes widened as his noticed Imperialdramon Paladin Mode's strength skyrocketing with the weapon in his hand. "Everyone! Get back and prepare yourselves!" he cried out as he began digging through his pack for a full revival spray and recovery spray.

"Omega Blade!" The gleaming white weapon slashed through all of Takumi's team with one steady stroke.

As he had expected, more than half of his Digimon was felled so Takumi quickly applied the revival spray as the surviving members of his team continued to fight.

"Destroyed Crash!"

"Thorn Whip!"

"Giant Missile!"

Imperialdramon Paladin Mode brushed off the attacks though as he lifted his sword again. "Omega Blade!"

"Limited Express Attack!" GrandLocomon rammed his own body into the sword, taking the full attack himself. He crashed onto the ground as his body became pixilated.

"GrandLocomon!" Takumi knit his eyebrows together at his Digimon's sacrifice but at least the rest of his team was okay. The boy ran up to the pixilated train to heal him as everyone else scattered to avoid Imperialdramon Paladin Mode's deadly sword.

"Omega Blade!"

"Saint Tackle!" SaintGalgomon also attempted to stop the blade with his body, but although he successfully defended his friends, he couldn't take the attack so collapsed to the ground.

MetalGarurumon (Black) and BlackWarGreymon nodded to each other as their opponent lifted his blade again. The two quickly Jogressed into Omegamon Zwart D and went straight for the white Ancient Holy Knight Digimon.

"Omega Blade!"

"Grey Sword!" Omegamon Zwart D pushed his sword against Imperialdramon Paladin Mode's before raising his Garuru Arm. "Garuru Cannon!"

The Royal Knight founder didn't even flinch as he tried felling the Black Berserker again. "Omega Blade!"

Takumi finished patching up the rest of his team at this time so quickly called out to Omegamon Zwart D to partition back into MetalGarurumon (Black) and BlackWarGreymon, causing their opponent to miss.

Imperialdramon Paladin Mode's eyes widened at the strength the Cyber Sleuth and his Digimon carried as he stumbled forward. He dropped the Omega Blade and smiled at the power displayed before him. "Amazing…" He gave his challenger a nod as it was time the boy decisively ended the battle.

Takumi extended his right arm as he cried out to his team. "Xros Combo!"

"Roses Rapier!"

"Metal Fang!"

"Black Tornado!"

"Limited Express Attack!"

"Demon Stab!"

"Nail Crusher!"

"Saint Tackle!"

"Copy Paste!"

"Duke Charge!"

The Cyber Sleuth closed his eyes as their defeated opponent collapsed to the ground. He took in a deep breath before opening his eyes and grinning at his team. "We did it!" he cheered. He blinked though as Imperialdramon Paladin Mode's body began to break down. Takumi tried to load the data before it could disperse, but he found that the Digimon wouldn't allow him to. Instead, the dropped Omega Blade began to glow as the redhead realized he was being entrusted with the forefathers' sword. Takumi balled his right hand into a fist and nodded. "Alright, I understand… I'll keep using this strength of mine to evolve the world around me. Even now, the future continues to split into a million points of light." The boy lifted his gaze up at the Digital World's sky and smiled. "Isn't that right, Suedou-san?"

* * *

"I'm home," Takumi smiled as he returned to the agency.

"Welcome home," Kyoko looked up at him. She gave him a nod as she just finished watching the transmitted footage of his latest battle. "Great job today, Takumi," she proudly smiled. "You've really become an outstanding person, both as a detective and as a Digimon tamer."

"Even so," the Cyber Sleuth chuckled, "there are still ways for me to keep improving myself. Let's keep evolving together, Kyoko-san!"

* * *

 **Final Notes:** Don't expect the Demon Lord cases to be up anytime soon. I have only Pride and Fanatic to deal with but Lucemon is a pain! I remember my first playthrough I gave up fighting against Slepimon and Craniummon because I didn't really pay much attention to typing and I never used buffs. Buffs really are important in this game... Maybe I'm so used to in Pokemon where buffs don't mean that much except for an added boost, but for Shin Megami Tensei and Cyber Sleuth... they really can make or break a battle. But yeah, me giving up on the post game cases at least allowed me to discover the whole programming oversight for the New Game Plus... In that way, you can counter Veevee's very broken Swiftness ability with your own UlforceV-dramon... The actual strategy I used for my own playthrough was MetalGarurumon boosting everyone's speed and acting as healer while Darkdramon or SaberLeomon Accelerated and attacked. My play style is usually to work with what I have because I'm too lazy to grind, and hey, it worked out for a long time! And then Lucemon came along to crush me... Damn pride... I don't know when I'll ever finish it, but the story is already considered complete anyways. Oh, and for anyone interested, I have some plans of novelizing Persona 4 Golden in the future but I set up a poll in my profile asking something I'm curious about.


	33. Parallel World, Girl & Destiny

**Author's Notes:** Whew! Finally beat Lucemon. My strategy? I pretty much abused Craniummon's God of Breath and have him abuse my stockpile of recovery items. Tylinmon was also present to cut down on the amount of status effects inflicted on my team. And my main attacker was Darkdramon thanks to his high critical rate. Everyone else I brought along died... but I did it! It took a lot less time than I expected and I probably would have finished it sooner but I ended up playing through Persona 4 Golden, finally. Oh well... It's not like this chapter really has bearing on anything.

* * *

~PARADISE~

"You've come," Mirei smiled at Takumi as he entered the DigiLab. "I've been awaiting you. Actually, I have a request," the woman suddenly frowned. "Although, I admit, it is not quite as simple as that. It is a matter of fate."

"Fate?" Takumi blinked at her.

"I have a 'case' with your office," she nodded to him. "Please, do take a look."

"Alright then," the boy nodded.

"Thank you… in advance," she chuckled. The purple-haired woman put on an unsettling smile as she studied the Cyber Sleuth who overcame his fate.

Takumi shivered as she continued to stare at him with such a scary expression. "W-well then…" he nervously backed out the lab, deciding he should check out the case request before going about his business in the room. "I-I'll be right back!"

* * *

 _Client: Mikagura Mirei_

 _Place: DigiLab_

 _Details: A girl from a parallel world and seven evils rampant in our world… I give you the wheel of fate that binds us all._

"A girl from a parallel world?" Takumi stared at the note as he entered the DigiLab. He looked around the laboratory, expecting to see Mirei with Rina, but was mildly surprised when a girl wearing a purple bandana with a pair of black goggles turned to face him.

"You've come," Mirei smiled up at the boy from her seat.

"Yeah," the Cyber Sleuth nodded as he stared at the girl frowning at him.

"Who is this?" she asked, placing a hand on her hip.

"A devoted seeker of truth," Mirei stated with a nod. "A Cyber Sleuth made thrall to the Digimon that swim and soar in this realm. And furthermore, your savior. The one who can break free your destiny," the woman smirked.

The girl crossed her arms as her frown deepened. She continued study the red-haired boy with her cool purple eyes. "Thrall… Cyber Sleuth… What do you mean?"

Takumi closed his eyes and brought a hand up to his chin. "I don't understand either… What's this about 'breaking free your destiny'?"

"Allow me to make introductions, then," Mirei stated. "Aiba Takumi, this young lady is Sayo. She is a Digimon Tamer from another world. One so very unlike your own."

"So… it's different from Rina's world too?" Takumi asked in surprise.

The woman nodded as she continued explaining. "You see, Sayo's beloved partner, Dianamon, was taken from her."

"We came to get her back," Sayo stated. "We went to the DigiLab and just appeared here. Is that all you want of me, Mirei-san?" she asked the glasses-wearing woman. "To find Dianamon again? How can this boy be a part of my destiny? He's… nothing," she dubiously knit her eyebrows together as she continued to study Takumi.

"H-huh…?" Takumi frowned at that.

"There's gotta be something more!" Sayo shook her head. "Tell me what's really going on here!"

"There is much that stands between you and your Dianamon," Mirei told her. "To recover her, you must face and defeat the Seven Great Demon Lords."

"Eh!?" Takumi placed his hands on his hips.

"What!?" Sayo's eyes also widened. "All of the Seven Great Demon Lords!? Are you crazy!?"

"W-who's fighting who exactly?" Takumi asked.

"Do you know of the Seven in your world?" Mirei asked him with a serious frown.

"W-well… I know I fought and defeated Barbamon in Rina's world. He was one of the Seven, right? Other than that, I can't say I know much about these 'Demon Lords'…"

Mirei sighed as she explained it to him. "They who stand above all magical Digimon. Crowned as the Highest of the High, evil is inborn to creatures such as they. Their power is beyond imagining, so much that they exist simultaneously in all parallel worlds. It is a type of defense for them. By being in so many forms across the spectrum of time and space, they disperse their power. Their existence is… natural," she continued with a nod, "A primal factor of the universe."

"I… see…" Takumi nodded.

Mirei looked over towards Sayo with a disapproving frown. "By slaying the Seven Deadly Digimon of your world, Sayo, you have granted them strength in every other. Including my own."

Sayo gasped in surprise. "No…"

"The punishment for this sin was the loss of your Dianamon," the woman finally stated.

"Wh-what!?" Sayo shook her head in disbelief. "But we didn't know that would happen! We didn't mean to!"

"I understand," Mirei plainly stated, "but knowing or not makes little difference. It was a consequence. Your Dianamon can return home to you, Sayo, but to make that happen, you must defeat the Seven that reside in this world. The terrible irony is that, without Dianamon, I fear you are not strong enough to face them. Hence, I have brought Takumi to you," she nodded to the Cyber Sleuth before flashing him a smirk. "He is entwined with destiny. He shall defeat the Seven to save Dianamon from an unjust fate."

"M-me?" Takumi pointed at himself and blinked.

"No!" Sayo shook her head and glared at the boy. "That's not fair! I'm still a Tamer and I won't let someone else fight my battles for me!"

"True…" Mirei brought her hand up and fiddled with her bow. "In your world you are powerful. Champion of the Coliseum and a renowned Tamer," she nodded with a smile. "But in this world, Sayo, you have no such strength. Tell me. Which matters more: your pride or your partner?"

Sayo tensed up at that before lowering her gaze. She brought her hands over her heart as she worriedly frowned to herself. "Dianamon…" She thought her situation over carefully but still gave Takumi a rather distrustful glare. "It's not the same! It's not enough! I can't just accept this weak, little slip of a boy as my destiny!" She placed a hand on her hip as she noticed Takumi didn't seem to care about her insults. "But… I have no choice, do I?" she sighed. "I… I will trust you," she finally nodded to the boy. "I suppose I should do this properly. My name is Sayo, Tamer of 'Night Claw' from Dark Moon City," she extended her hand to him. "It's… nice to meet you."

"Aiba Takumi," the blue-eyed boy nodded as he shook her hand, "Cyber Sleuth of the Kuremi Detective Agency. It's nice to meet you too," he kindly smiled.

The girl frowned as he seemed like a nice boy. "Please… help me bring Dianamon home."

Takumi blinked at the genuine request before giving her a determined nod. "I'll definitely get it done," he reassured her. "Leave it me."

Sayo suddenly frowned at him and crossed her arms. "But that doesn't mean I respect you! Don't misunderstand me here. This doesn't mean I approve of you."

"H-huh…?" the boy nervously scratched his cheek. "W-well… that's alright… I guess…"

"It's decided…" Mirei stated with a satisfied smile. "Now, Takumi, the path is at your feet. We are to put our faith in you and see the Seven defeated. When you are ready, I can divine the locations of the Seven Deadly Digimon," she nodded to him as she pushed up her glasses. "All things are within the wheel of fate…"

Takumi crossed his arms and chuckled to himself. "As one blessed by fate, I can't turn away from destiny's call!" he nonsensically cried, prompting Sayo to sigh.

* * *

~LUST~

After reporting to the agency and setting up his team, Takumi seriously nodded to Mirei. "Alright then. Where should I go first?"

The woman let out a sinister chuckle as she began her fortune-telling. "I will foretell for you the whereabouts of the first of the Seven Great Demon Lords you need to slay… This is what I saw. It seems that one of the Seven Great Demon Lords called Lilithmon is in Nakano… Destiny will guide you in defeating the Seven Great Demon Lords."

"Lilithmon…?" Takumi crossed his arms as he was unfamiliar with such a Digimon.

"Hmm…" Sayo brought a hand up to her face. "I am a champion of the Coliseum in the other world. So, as a champion, and moreover, as someone who has experience defeating the Seven Great Demon Lords, I can give you battle tips to help out!"

"H-huh…?" the boy turned towards the girl in surprise. "O-okay, thanks," he nodded. "So what sort of Digimon is Lilithmon like?"

"Lilithmon is quite fickle," she nodded. "She changes her tactics a lot… You will have to do a lot of preparation in order to deal with any tactics she might use. Did you restock all your items?"

Takumi checked his supplies and nodded. "Thanks for the tip," he smiled at her. "Well, I'm off!"

* * *

Takumi followed a strange Digital Wave signature to the third floor of Broadway. He carefully looked down the hall for anything strange before he made it to the food court.

His eyes widened as he noticed a distortion next to the takoyaki stand. "There's a Digital Space inside…"

As soon as he entered the network, a feminine Digimon cackled at the boy before letting out a sigh of darkness. "Phantom Pain!"

The Cyber Sleuth quickly flipped back from the dark breath spewing from the green magic circle she summoned. "That was close!" he nervously shook his head. "Everyone! Let's go!"

Lilithmon brought a hand up to her mouth and studied the boy in confusion before a playful smirk appeared on her face. "I will eat you up!" she laughed, accepting his challenge. With a flourish of her arm, a poisonous mist covered the field.

Omegamon Zwart revealed his sword and swung it to clear the air. "Grey Sword!" Soon he lifted his cannon and took aim. "Garuru Cannon!"

"Chaosmon!" Takumi called out to his other Vaccine Digimon. "End of Paradox!"

Lilithmon frowned as both Digimon attacked her. "Do you want to play?" she asked she bugged the boy's entire team.

Takumi knit his eyebrows together as he sent Rosemon Burst Mode forward to take advantage of her reversed affinity. "Use Tifaret! Omegamon Zwart, support her!" He dug into his bag and threw a bug recovery patch towards Chaosmon. "Xros Combo!"

"Demon Stab!"

"Grey Sword!"

"Charité!"

The fickle Demon Lord let out a frustrated scream as she blew a kiss towards Chaosmon and Omegamon Zwart. "Temptation!" She laughed as both Digimon fell under her spell and became confused. "Come whenever!"

"BAN-TYO Blade!"

"Grey Sword!"

"No!" Takumi cried out in surprise as Chaosmon and Omegamon Zwart turned on each other. "Rosemon Burst Mode, keep her busy!" Takumi ordered as he tried to get both Digimon to stop.

"Aguichant Lèvres!"

"Feeding Frenzy!" Lilithmon took in a deep breath as she began seriously battling against the Fairy Digimon. The Demon Lord's power seemed to grow before she summoned a green magic seal. "Phantom Pain!"

Rosemon Burst Mode quickly dodged it but the attack ended up hitting Chaosmon. Takumi shook his head as his Vaccine Digimon was quickly downed. "A revival capsule coming up! Omegamon Zwart! Help Rosemon Burst Mode!" he cried as he cleared the black knight's confusion.

"Double Torrent!"

Lilithmon laughed as she dodged the waves of fire and ice before she approached Omegamon Zwart. "Plaything!" she declared as she charmed the Holy Knight Digimon before draining his energy.

"H-hey, Omegamon Zwart!" Takumi frowned as this battle was not going well for him. He shook his head as he searched for another revival capsule.

"You seem down," the Demon Lord taunted the Cyber Sleuth as she prepared to finish off the persistent Data Digimon coming after her. Lilithmon raised her right hand up as her golden claws began to glow. "Nazar Nail!" she cried as she slashed at Rosemon Burst Mode.

The Fairy Digimon quickly avoided it as Takumi threw a speed booster towards her. Rosemon Burst Mode scowled at the witch as she let her glowing pink mantle spread out behind her. "Charité!" The beautiful fairy wrapped her cape around Lilithmon before blowing a kiss. "Aguichant Lèvres!" The bombardment of lasers further weakened the Demon Lord, but Rosemon Burst Mode still didn't let up as she attacked her with the jewel she always wore that symbolized love and beauty. "Tifaret!"

Lilithmon screamed as she collapsed in defeat and Takumi let out a relieved sigh, knowing the battle was over. "Good job, Rosemon Burst Mode," he praised the Digimon smiling at him. He paused though before flashing Omegamon Zwart and Chaosmon a wry smile as both Digimon bowed their heads to him in shame. "Well… you both did your best, but at least it's over now. Let's get going." He made to leave the Digital Space but paused when he noticed Lilithmon had dropped something. Takumi blinked as he picked up the Hair of Lust. He knit his eyebrows together since he had no idea what it was, but it seemed important. "I defeated the Demon Lord known as Lilithmon," he nodded to himself. "First off I should go and tell Mirei-san and Sayo-san…"

* * *

Sayo took in a deep breath as she waited for Takumi to return. She impatiently crossed her arms and frowned when it was taking him a lot longer than she would have liked. "Once he defeats the Seven Great Demon Lords, my partner Dianamon will finally be returned to me…" she reminded herself. She closed her eyes and focused on that instead of the Cyber Sleuth's questionable skills as a tamer. She opened her eyes though as the boy finally returned.

Mirei smirked at Takumi when she noticed the boy's serious expression. "You have slain one of the Seven Great Demons Lords. I'm very proud," she nodded to him.

Takumi smiled back at her as he placed his hands on his hips. "Lilithmon turned out to be tougher than some of the Royal Knights, but I did it somehow."

"Hm…" Sayo raised an eyebrow at the boy. "I guess you're doing all right. When all Seven have been defeated, then I'll have Dianamon back! I…" she hesitantly looked into his blue eyes, "Thank you."

The Cyber Sleuth continued smiling at her and nodded. "No problem."

The Dusk Tamer quickly turned her head away from him and frowned again. "I still don't know if you'll be enough, but… please, keep trying."

"Sure thing!" Takumi grinned.

Mirei pushed up her glasses when she noticed something strange sticking out of Takumi's belt pouch. "Say…! That thing you're holding," she blinked at it in surprise.

"Hm?" Takumi looked towards the woman before remembering the strange Hair of Lust he found. "Oh yeah… Lilithmon dropped this when I defeated her. Do you know what this is, Mirei-san?"

"Yes," she nodded, "the Evidence of Sin. Each of the Seven has one and each in regard to the sin they represent. It is proof of the judgment fallen upon Dianamon."

"I see…" the Cyber Sleuth stared at the artifact with an uncertain frown on his face.

"When all of them have been gathered," Mirei continued, "Dianamon will be freed from her purgatory. Her punishment lifted," she smiled. "Please, Takumi, continue…" she chuckled.

Takumi looked over towards Sayo but the tamer only continued to frown at him. "So I'm asking you to do this… but this still doesn't mean I approve of you!"

The red-haired boy simply gave her a smile and nodded. "I know," he lightly chuckled. "Don't worry though. I'll get it done, no problem."

* * *

"I'm home," Takumi called out as he returned to the agency.

"Welcome home," Kyoko grinned at him. "So how was it?"

"Mirei-san needs me to defeat all of the Seven Great Demon Lords in this world," her assistant crossed his arms. "I'll probably be running in and out of the office for a while until then. I just thought I'd get started on filling out the report though."

"This case is definitely a bit of an odd one, isn't it?" the detective chuckled. "I mean, this is Mirei we're talking about, so I guess I'm not surprised, but still."

"Odd or not, I'll get it done," Takumi said as a sympathetic frown washed over his face. "There's a Tamer I need to help in reuniting her with her partner…"

Kyoko chuckled as she understood what was going on in the boy's mind. "I'm sure you'll be fine," she gave him an encouraging nod. "I look forward to seeing the results at the end of this case."

Sensing her faith in him, the redhead managed to crack a smile. "Thanks, Kyoko-san. Just leave this to me!"

* * *

~GLUTTONY~

Mirei let out a diabolical chuckle as she prepared another fortune telling session for her best customer. "I will foretell for you the whereabouts of the next of the Seven Great Demon Lords you need to slay… This is what I saw. It seems that one of the Seven Great Demon Lords called Beelzebumon is in Nakano… Destiny will guide you in defeating the Seven Great Demon Lords."

"Nakano again…" Takumi crossed his arms. "Alright," he nodded. "Thanks, Mirei-san." The boy paused as he passed the worried Tamer he was helping. "How are you holding up?"

Sayo frowned to herself. "I didn't know… that within the Seven Great Demon Lords… such a thing existed…"

"Are you still worried about Dianamon?" Takumi asked her.

She shook her head and glared at him. "Don't concern yourself with matters of the past. There is nothing you can do about them. Now you must focus only on the battle ahead!"

"R-right…" the Cyber Sleuth nervously nodded.

"Beelzebumon is a short-tempered Digimon…" Sayo recalled. "Don't drag the battle on for too long. Do you have any power-type or speed-type Digimon? You need to hit hard!"

"So power and speed trumps defense and endurance in this case," Takumi mused. "Hmm… Okay. I think I've got a good strategy then."

* * *

Takumi knit his eyebrows together when he sensed a powerful Digimon hiding in an arcade machine. He Connect Jumped into the terminal and carefully looked around before he heard the sound of a roaring engine speeding towards him. He jumped back as a Digimon resembling a biker thug charged towards him on top of a motorbike.

The Demon Lord swerved his bike around before pulling out a gun and pointing it at the Cyber Sleuth who came to challenge him. Takumi didn't move as Beelzebumon climbed off of Behemoth and the Digimon sneered at the boy, waiting for him to summon his team. The Demon Lord crossed his arms at the sight of HiAndromon, Chaosmon, and BlackWarGreymon before beginning a countdown. "Five…" he winced as he began consuming his own data to make himself more powerful.

The Cyber Sleuth raised an eyebrow at the strange Demon Lord giving him a chance to move first. "Alright! Take him out as quickly as you can!"

"Black Tornado!"

"BAN-TYO Blade!"

"Copy Paste!"

"Four…" Beelzebumon shook his head as he continued building up his power.

"Dark Prominence!"

"Three…"

"Spiral Sword!"

"Two…"

"Dramon Killer!"

"One…" Beelzebumon prepared to draw his guns.

Takumi shook his head though as the Demon Lord continuously drained his own energy to build up his attack. "Keep assaulting him!"

"Let's end this…" the excessive Demon Lord growled as he suddenly darted forward with his shotguns out. "Double Impact!" He haphazardly fired multiple rounds at the Cyber Sleuth, but BlackWarGreymon quickly intercepted the attack.

"Brave Shield!" the Black Knight roared as he shielded Takumi.

The red-haired tamer smirked as he called out for his Vaccines to quickly finish off the weakened Demon Lord. "Let's go!"

"Atomic Ray!"

"End of Paradox!"

Beelzebumon collapsed in defeat and Takumi shook his head at the Digimon's excessive overconsumption of his own data. He paused though as he picked up the Fang of Gluttony on the ground before him. "That's two down… I'd better report back to…" he paused as his stomach began to growl. "Gluttony, huh…?" he smiled to himself. "Well… a quick lunch break wouldn't hurt, so long as I don't overindulge myself."

* * *

Takumi let out a relieved sigh as he finished compiling his second report for Kyoko. "Here you are," he nodded. "Now I should get started on my next assignment…"

"Mirei just keeps on sending cases to us, doesn't she?" Kyoko smiled at her busy assistant. "It's nice to have some stability in this line of work, though, so stay on top of them."

The blue-eyed boy gave her a stern nod as he pushed away a purple magnet holding up another note Mirei sent to him. "Alright, well I'm off!"

"Have a safe trip!" the detective smirked.

* * *

~GREED~

"Okay, where should I go next?" Takumi asked the purple-haired woman.

"It seems that one of the Seven Great Demon Lords called Barbamon is in Nakano…" she nodded to him. "Destiny will guide you in defeating the Seven Great Demon Lords."

"Still?" Takumi crossed his arms and frowned. "And it's Barbamon this time, huh?" He remembered back to the bearded Digimon he faced in Rina's world. "As I recall, he has a habit of greedily boosting himself, but in doing so he leaves himself completely open to attack." He looked up towards Sayo with a grin. "Is that right, Sayo?"

The girl crossed her arms and shook her head at him. "I trust Mirei, so I suppose I'll trust you… Not that you look all that trustworthy. You would do well to heed my advice."

"Huh…?" the blue-eyed boy blinked at her. "O-okay, sure…"

"Barbamon starts off his attack strong, but… after he expends his demonic power, he exposes a weakness…" the Night Claw Tamer told him. "Don't miss that chance. Strike as soon as you see it!"

"As I thought…" the Cyber Sleuth nodded to himself.

"But don't get carried away," she warned him, "or you'll pay for it."

"Sure thing," Takumi grinned. "You're speaking from experience, right?"

"What!?" Sayo's face turned red. "No… That never happened to me!"

"If you say so, then I believe you," the boy lightly chuckled as he departed the DigiLab.

* * *

Takumi blinked at the distorted terminal in the used bookstore but shrugged as he entered the network. Barbamon cackled as the boy appeared and raised his demonic staff in the air.

The Cyber Sleuth dodged the hellish flames coming towards him as he sent his team forward. "Let's go! Keep your guards up and counter whenever you can!"

"Magic Binge!" Barbamon began charging up his power and Takumi smirked as the Demon Lord's defense and speed lowered.

"Go all out!" he called out to his Digimon.

SaintGalgomon quickly rammed his heavy body into the Demon Lord. "Saint Tackle!"

"Copy Paste!"

"Tyrant Bisection Sword!"

Barbamon shrieked as he was assaulted by the three Vaccines before he finished charging his spell. Takumi promptly called for a retreat before his Digimon could get caught up in the Demon Lord's powerful attack. "Brace yourselves!"

"Pandemonium Lost!" the bearded Demon Lord released a super high temperature blast around him.

Takumi flinched as SaintGalgomon protectively shielded him before the boy reached into his bag for a recovery spray. After applying it on his team, he quickly sent his Digimon forward to quickly finish off the Demon Lord before he could begin charging up his power again. "Xros Combo!"

"Burst Shot!"

"Dark Prominence!"

"Spiral Sword!"

"This makes three," Takumi nodded as he picked up the Beard of Greed from the ground. He frowned at the strange bundle of hair but put it away with his other relics.

* * *

~SLOTH~

"It seems that one of the Seven Great Demon Lords called Belphemon is in Nakano…" Mirei smirked at Takumi. "Destiny will guide you in defeating the Seven Great Demon Lords."

Takumi wore a tired smile as he nodded in understanding. "Okay, I'll take care of it."

Sayo raised an eyebrow as this was now his fourth battle. "In rage mode, Belphemon increases his attack by how much health he loses," she told him. "In the final stage, you cannot hesitate. You must rush him!"

"No hesitation, right," Takumi nodded as he psyched himself up for another round. "Let's do this! Onto the next Demon Lord!"

"Which reminds me," the Tamer paused and crossed her arms, "didn't Mirei say that, as a punishment for defeating the Seven Great Demon Lords, Dianamon was taken from me?"

"Hm?" the Cyber Sleuth blinked as the thought crossed his mind too.

"So…" Sayo hesitantly frowned, "if you beat the Seven Great Demon Lords of this world… What will happen?"

"Will I… lose Alphamon and my Digimon once more…?" Takumi gulped as he didn't think he'd be able to bear parting with his boss again. He clenched his fists and shook his head. "No, that's not something I should focus on for now. I'll deal with it as it happens. If anything, I trust Mirei-san enough to find a way around it." He put on a determined smirk and nodded to himself. "No matter how many times Kyoko-san and I are forced to part, we'll always be connected. That's why I won't falter!"

Sayo blinked at the boy in surprise as he bolted out of the DigiLab with a determined grin on his face. After a while, she crossed her arms and smirked to herself as she thought of the kind, but very strange teen. "He's very much like a less hot-headed Koh…" She further considered this line of thought for a few more seconds before a displeased frown appeared on her face. "That's a bit infuriating actually… To think I could meet another person rivaling my strength here…"

* * *

Takumi stuck his right arm towards the vending machines on the third floor and carefully entered the network. He quickly looked around but knit his eyebrows together when there didn't seem to be any Digimon prepared to ambush him. Instead, he spotted a large brown-grey Digimon cocooning itself into a ball as it slept. The Cyber Sleuth's blue eyes widened at how adorable it seemed.

"Ah…!" he grinned. "Is this Belphemon Sleep Mode? How can I be expected to fight such a cute—?" Takumi blinked as he noticed the chains binding Belphemon Sleep Mode beginning to rattle.

"Lampranthus…" Belphemon Sleep Mode muttered in his sleep with a somber smile on his face.

The teenager jumped back as bolts of energy and black flames were cast from the chains. "R-right…" he shakily chuckled to himself. "He's still a Demon Lord." He shook his head as he sent his team forward to quickly take care of the dangerous Digimon. "Let's go!"

Imperialdramon Fighter Mode started things off with his strongest attack. "Giga Death!"

"Giant Missile!"

"End of Paradox!"

Belphemon Sleep Mode didn't dodge the attacks as he remained asleep and Takumi knit his eyebrows together in confusion. "Is he just going to stay that way for the whole battle…?" He shrugged though as this made things a lot easier for him. "SaintGalgomon, finish him off!"

"Saint Punch!"

The resting Demon Lord was knocked backwards and Takumi prepared to approach him for his relic when the boy suddenly tensed up. The blue-eyed boy watched as the Digimon's demonic red eyes opened. The chains constraining the Demon Lord snapped too and Takumi watched in terror as the adorable sleeping critter turned into a monstrous raging beast.

Takumi scanned the Digimon's new form and shook his head at the sudden change. "Okay, so it's Belphemon Rage Mode now! Everyone, be careful!"

"Resentment!" Belphemon Rage Mode roared as he angrily focused his attention on the boy who disturbed his slumber. "Gift of Darkness!" He charged forward with his claws wrapped in hellish flames.

"Saint Tackle!" SaintGalgomon quickly intercepted the attack but the powerful blow quickly knocked him out.

"So strong…!" Takumi gasped as he quickly searched for a deluxe revival capsule. Remembering Sayo's advice about not hesitating, he quickly called out to Imperialdramon Fighter Mode and Chaosmon. "Give it all you got!"

"Dark Prominence!"

"Positron Laser!"

Belphemon Rage Mode growled as he haphazardly slashed his claws at the two Digimon attacking him. After a few strikes though, he seemed to have tired himself out so stopped moving. "Sleep Status…" he closed his eyes for a moment as he began repairing himself.

Takumi sighed in relief at the reprieve and finally got SaintGalgomon up again. "It looks like he's open now! Don't let him recover too much health!"

"Burst Shot!"

"Splendor Blade!"

"BAN-TYO Blade!"

The three attacking Digimon tensed up as Belphemon Rage Mode opened his eyes again. "Resentment –Serious–!" Black flames wrapped around his body as he prepared for his next attack.

"Imperial Crusher!" Imperialdramon Fighter Mode charged forward with his electrified claws before kicking at the Demon Lord. His eyes widened though as the angry Digimon countered each of his blows in the midst of his preparations.

"Gift of Darkness!"

The Ancient Dragon Man Digimon was quickly struck down and Takumi quickly had Chaosmon and SaintGalgomon lure Belphemon Rage Mode away. The Cyber Sleuth grit his teeth together as he used another deluxe recovery capsule. His refreshed Digimon prepared to rejoin the others, but Takumi quickly stopped him. "Just give me a moment for me to transfer some data to you. It's time to use the Omega Blade!"

"Sleep Status…" Belphemon Rage Mode slowed down again as Chaosmon and SaintGalgomon pelted him with attacks. He grew annoyed though as the persistent pests refused to give him a moment of rest though so exploded in a rage. "Resentment –Extreme–!"

"Everyone get back!" Takumi roared as Imperialdramon Paladin Mode was finally ready.

"Gift of Darkness!"

"Omega Blade!" The white Ancient Holy Knight flinched from the intense flames of Belphemon Rage Mode's attack, but he pushed against the Demon's Claws with his powerful sword.

Takumi raised his right arm into the air as he had his other two Digmion support him. "Xros Combo!"

"Tyrant Bisection Sword!"

"Saint Tackle!"

Imperialdramon Paladin Mode's dragon-head chest port opened up as he began charging its cannon. "Giga Death!"

The Cyber Sleuth shielded his eyes from the bright explosion and waited until everything around him settled before checking the results. When he saw his team still standing, he let out a relieved sigh and quickly recalled them into his Digivice for a well-deserved rest. "I think that's enough for today…" he crookedly grinned. He picked up the Nails of Sloth and shook his head to himself as he was now halfway done with defeating all Seven Great Demon Lords.

* * *

~WRATH~

Takumi pensively brought a hand up to his face as he considered how he wanted to shuffle his team around. "SaintGalgomon, Darkdramon, SaberLeomon, ChaosDukemon, and GrandLocomon still haven't quite recovered from yesterday's ordeal… I guess it's time I switched in Seraphimon, ShineGreymon, Kuzuhamon, RustTyranomon, Valkyrimon, HerakleKabuterimon and…" he counted up the Digimon in his team and nodded in satisfaction. "Well… ten should be fine for now, considering that gives me four Vaccines to work with. I can also Jogress MetalGarurumon (Black) and BlackWarGreymon to Omegamon Zwart if I need backup…" He smiled to himself as he began accessing his DigiBank. "Yeah… That sounds like a good plan. So, who am I to face next, Mirei-san?"

Mirei let out a sinister chuckle as she gazed into Takumi's future. "I will foretell for you the whereabouts of the next of the Seven Great Demon Lords you need to slay…" she nodded to the boy. "This is what I saw. It seems that one of the Seven Great Demon Lords called Demon is at Central Hospital… Destiny will guide you in defeating the Seven Great Demon Lords."

"Central Hospital…" Takumi mused. "What advice do you have for me this time, Sayo?"

"Demon… tips for fighting Demon…" The Dusk Tamer carefully thought it over. "When Demon gets angry his attack power goes up, so you don't want to get him mad."

"Eh?" the boy blinked at her. "But it's a fight… Judging by how Belphemon got angrier as the battle went on, wouldn't the same thing happen with Demon?"

"Huh?" the girl paused as she placed her hand on her hip. "Yes, it is indeed difficult not to make your enemy made while trying to defeat him… But hey, that's the job you signed up for!" she frowned at the Cyber Sleuth.

"I suppose…" Takumi nervously smiled as he crossed his arms. He closed his eyes as he considered how to best set up his team. When he opened them again, he brought his fist up to his chest. "Okay! Let's do this!"

* * *

As soon as Takumi entered the water cooler's network, a fearsome fallen angel Digimon let out an enraged roar. "I'm really, really angry!"

Takumi didn't hesitate as he sent Seraphimon, Omegamon Zwart, and ShrineGreymon forward. "Let's go! Xros Combo!"

"Seven Heavens!" Seraphimon fired seven orbs of holy energy at the fallen angel Digimon.

"Garuru Cannon!"

ShineGreymon spread his wings as they began to glow in a brilliant light before he shot arcing beams from them. "Corona Splash!"

As he was pelted by the attacks, Demon began to concentrate a ball of hellish flames in his hands before firing it at his opponents. "Flame Inferno!"

Takumi's team jumped back but was partially singed by the extreme heat. The Cyber Sleuth quickly applied a recovery spray before sending them back into the battle. "It looks like he's recovering from his attack's recoil! Let's go all out!"

Omegamon Zwart called for his blade and rushed the Demon Lord. "Grey Sword!"

Seraphimon did the same with the energy sword on his right arm. "Excalibur!"

"GeoGrey Sword!" ShineGreymon pulled a dual-blade sword infused with Gaia's power from the ground.

"Double Dust!" Demon sent a shockwave through the ground, causing an earthquake, but his opponents quickly rose into the air. He let out another enraged roar as he began charging his flames again. "I'm really, really angry! Flame Inferno!"

Takumi shook his head as he had another spray prepared. "Another round of attacks!"

"Ascension Hallow!" Seraphimon called down a bolt of heavenly lightning.

"Double Torrent!"

ShineGreymon absorbed as much energy as he could from his wings before charging his chest-mounted laser. "Glorious Burst!"

Takumi watched as Demon continued exhausting himself with his anger until eventually the wrathful Digimon collapsed to the ground. The Cyber Sleuth frowned at the short-lived battle. "Anger really is an extremely volatile emotion…" He shrugged it off though as he picked up the Horn of Wrath Demon dropped. "Well, it wasn't too bad. Only two more Demon Lords to go!"

* * *

~ENVY~

Mirei nodded as she told the red-haired teen where his next opponent was. "It seems that one of the Seven Great Demon Lords called Leviamon is at Central Hospital… Destiny will guide you in defeat the Seven Great Demon Lords."

"Alright," Takumi nodded. He grinned at Sayo who was still frowning at him. "What's wrong? I only have a couple of more battles to go and you'll be able to see Dianamon again."

The girl crossed her arms and pouted. "This sucks… I'm a tamer too but, you've been trusted with everything…"

"Isn't that because you can't really defeat them without your partner?" Takumi asked. He flashed her a cheery smile. "Hey, come on! You've been helping me out a lot with your advice!"

"Huh?" Sayo blinked at him. "My advice is going to be useful in the next battle?"

"Yup!" the boy grinned.

"What!? Of course!" the purple-haired girl frowned at him. "I hardly need you to tell me that!"

"Of course not!" Takumi lightly chuckled.

Sayo sighed at his easy-going attitude. "Next you need to go after Leviamon!" she reminded him. "His magic is weak, but he can counterattack while you use magic, so make sure you get your timing right!"

The Cyber Sleuth became serious once more and brought a hand up to his mouth. "So he's vulnerable to magic, but he has a countermeasure prepared…"

Sayo chuckled at the boy's expression. "You can't borrow the strength of a champion to win this, so do your best!"

"Will do," Takumi nodded before checking his team again.

* * *

Takumi entered the network of the hospital's vending machine and jumped back as a long serpent-like dragon came charging towards him. Omegamon Zwart quickly emerged from his Digivice with his blade drawn as Leviamon tried to bite the teen. "Rostrum!" Retreating backwards, Takumi quickly sent Seraphimon and HerakleKabuterimon to support the Black Holy Knight, but Leviamon continued to snap his jaws at them. After a while, the long Devil Beast sighed and stopped attacking. "I am worried…"

Omegamon Zwart took this moment to counterattack. "Grey Sword!"

HerakleKabuterimon charged his great horn with electricity. "Giga Blaster!"

"Seven Heavens!"

Leviamon didn't really respond as he continued to remain still. "Resting…"

"If he's not going to counter, keep attacking!" Takumi called out as he applied a speed booster to each of his Digimon.

"Double Torrent!"

"Ascension Hallow!"

"Starting up again…" Leviamon breathed as he began to stir.

"Everyone, get back!" the Cyber Sleuth frowned as he noticed the beast getting ready to launch himself at his team.

"Rostrum!" The Demon Lord began snapping his long snout again and tried to bite down on HerakleKabuterimon, but the large beetle Digimon refused to allow himself to be bitten so easily.

"Horn Buster Kai!" The Insect Digimon rammed his electrified horn against the roof of Leviamon's mouth as the Demon Lord tried multiple times to chomp down on him.

"Grey Sword!"

"Excalibur!" Seraphimon and Omegamon Zwart tried attacking the serpent's main body, forcing the Devil Beast to let go.

Leviamon shrunk back again to return into his recovering state, but Takumi decided to things now before the Demon Lord began another round of snapping at his team. "Xros Combo!"

"Garuru Cannon!"

HerakleKabuterimon used his four arms to charge up a large ball of electricity. "High Mega Blaster!"

"Ascension Hallow!"

Leviamon collapsed and Takumi picked up the Scales of Envy that dropped from his body. "This leaves just one more…" the Cyber Sleuth stated, knitting his eyebrows together.

* * *

~PRIDE~

Takumi crossed his arms and closed his eyes before taking a deep breath. "The remaining sin remaining is Pride, isn't it?" he asked Mirei as he opened his eyes. "Who will I be facing that embodies this vice?"

"It seems that the last of the Seven Great Demon Lords called Lucemon is at Central Hospital…" the woman smirked at him as she pushed up her glasses. "Destiny will guide you in defeating the Seven Great Demon Lords," she nodded.

"Lucemon…" the Cyber Sleuth took a moment to consider what type of Digimon that would be.

Sayo worriedly frowned. "Lucemon can use 'knockback' to force your team into making unwanted substitutions, so you should make sure you don't have any other Digimon in reserve…"

"Eh?" Takumi blinked at his Digimon. "That means I should only bring a team of three!?"

"Did you know this?" the Tamer raised an eyebrow at him. "If you don't have any other Digimon, he can't use knockback."

"Well, I faced a Digimon like that before, but even then, I took six with me," the Cyber Sleuth recalled his challenge battle against Examon. "This is quite worrying…"

"It's a bit nerve-wracking not to have any other back-up Digimon," Sayo nodded in agreement, "but maybe you can just select your best three? You'll have to trust in them…"

Takumi quickly checked on his recovering Digimon and compared their state to his current team. "It looks like I'll have to make huge changes to my team's arrangement then…"

"This battle with Lucemon will be long and bitter…" Sayo warned him. "You mustn't give up!"

"Of course!" the boy nodded in determination. "I'm only one battle away from defeating all of the Demon Lords. I won't let myself falter now after coming so far!"

* * *

Takumi stared at the small angel hiding in the electrical box's Digital Space in surprise. "You're the embodiment of Pride?"

The child-like angel simply smiled at the Cyber Sleuth before opening his arms out. Ten superheated orbs of energy appeared around him and arranged themselves in a pattern resembling a cruciform syzygy. "Grand Cross!"

The redhead's eyes widened as he quickly summoned his team to protect him. "This is it, everyone!"

"Aguichant Lèvres!" Rosemon Burst Mode countered the attack with all her strength as ShineGreymon absorbed the solar energy of Lucemon's orbs.

"Glorious Burst!"

"Garuru Cannon!" Omegamon Zwart roared as he repeatedly fired his arm cannon.

Lucemon evaded some of the shots and frowned at his opponents. "Arrogant…" he muttered before ramming into Omegamon Zwart. He knit his eyebrows together when the knockback effect failed.

Omegamon Zwart smirked as he raised his blade up to finish the Child-level Demon Lord. "Sword of Ruin!" The explosive cross-slash produced by the Grey Sword was enough to finish off Lucemon.

The fallen angel fell from the ground before his body began to glow. Takumi tensed up as he watched the Demon Lord evolve into a new form. The Cyber Sleuth quickly scanned the Digimon and shook his head at the immense power reading his Digivice was picking up on. "Lucemon Falldown Mode… He went from Vaccine to Virus!" He quickly had Rosemon Burst Mode pull back. "ShineGreymon, cover her!"

Lucemon Falldown Mode chuckled as he tried to give chase to the retreating Fairy Digimon. "Paradise Lost!" He let loose a combination of punches and kicks but the Light Dragon Digimon got in his way.

"GeoGrey Sword!"

Omegamon Zwart quickly rushed forward to join in on the battle. "Omega Howling!" He extended his Garuru Cannon towards the Demon Lord and fired multiple sonic blasts.

"ShineGreymon!" Takumi pointed his right arms towards Rosemon Burst Mode. "Get ready for a data transfer! Burst Mode!"

The Light Dragon roared as his body wrapped in flames. From the shining inferno he pulled out a sword and shield completely made of fire as the remaining flames engulfed his wings. ShineGreymon Burst Mode flared up and combined his weapons together to produce a larger blade of fire. "Corona Blaze Sword!"

Lucemon Falldown Mode flew backwards to evade the attack and tried to cast a spell. "Requiem Ocean Wave!"

"Freeze it, Omegamon Zwart!" Takumi cried out.

"Garuru Cannon!" The Black Holy Knight immediately fired his weapon before jumping back as Lucemon Falldown Mode extended his arms out.

The fallen angel held an orb in each hand, one light and the other dark. He combined them together and watched the spheres overlap and grow, surrounding Omegamon Zwart. "Dead or Alive!"

"Partition!" the Cyber Sleuth quickly commanded.

Omegamon Zwart split up and escaped the three-dimensional magic circle before both Digimon could be annihilated. As soon as BlackWarGreymon was free, he began to rapidly spin into his drill attack. "Black Tornado!"

MetalGarurumon (Black) followed the attack up by opening all of the ports on his body. "Blizzard Wolf Claw!"

Lucemon Falldown Mode let out a frustrated yell as he charged up another spell to attack all three Digimon. "Condemning Hell Crusher!"

"Brave Shield!" BlackWarGreymon managed to protect himself from the brunt of the attack but paused when MetalGarurumon (Black) and ShineGreymon Burst Mode suddenly collapsed.

"Everyone!" Takumi knit his eyebrows together as he quickly pulled out a Full Revival Spray. "Hang in there, BlackWarGreymon! Try to remain on the defensive!"

The Jet-Black Dragon Warrior nodded as he continued deflecting his opponents attack with his sturdy shield. Lucemon Falldown Mode was relentless though as he repeatedly kicked at BlackWarGreymon. "Terrible Dance! Deadly Roll!"

When ShineGreymon Burst Mode was up again, the Light Dragon Digimon began to glow and heat up. "Final Shining Burst!" His body exploded into a bright light and BlackWarGreymon rammed into Lucemon Falldown Mode to capture the Demon Lord in the supernova blast.

MetalGarurumon (Black) howled before launching a barrage of homing missiles to ensure their target was incapacitated. "Burst Wolf Claw!"

Takumi reached into his pouch for a recovery spray just in case but patiently waited for the smoke to clear. He couldn't find any trace of Lucemon Falldown Mode, but he frowned when he didn't notice a relic lying around either. "Is there more?" he absently asked before the entire network began to shake. He fell over and watched as a great behemoth began to rise from the ground. The boy's blue eyes widened at the sight of the seven magic crests glowing above the new Digimon, gulping at the realization the crests belonged to the previously defeated Demon Lords. His Digivice began flashing an error message, unable to scan the Digimon, resulting in Takumi shaking his head at the new opponent. "Lucemon Satan Mode!?"

The Demon God Digimon let out a fearsome roar as the crests lit up into beams of energy. "Divine Atonement!"

"Brave Shield!" BlackWarGreymon leapt in front of the Cyber Sleuth to defend him as his two allies tried to counter the attack.

"Glorious Burst!"

"Cocytus Breath!"

"ShineGreymon Burst Mode! MetalGarurumon (Black)!" Takumi knit his eyebrows together as his Digimon fell. Their attacks had done nothing to the insanely powerful dragon so he quickly fumbled through his supplies while calling out defensive orders to BlackWarGreymon. "Forget about hurting it! Focus on surviving whatever it throws at us!"

BlackWarGreymon nodded as he reinforced his shield and began using evasive maneuvers against Lucemon Satan Mode's attacks. The great beast let out a groan as his previous attack drained some of his energy, but the mindless Demon Lord quickly shook it off before letting out a fierce roar. "Resentment –Extreme–! I will eradicate you!" He swiped his tail towards BlackWarGreymon, severely damaging the defending Ultimate.

"Hang in there!" Takumi called out before sending his recently recovered MetalGarurumon (Black) to aid his partner. "Here's a speed booster!" He threw the patch at the mechanical wolf, giving the Digimon the necessary power-up needed to rescue BlackWarGreymon.

"Shining Blast!" ShineGreymon Burst Mode enveloped his body in flames as he took another attack Lucemon Satan Mode prepared for the weakened Dragon man.

"Purgatorial Flame!" The demonic beast breathed out a black flame before further groaning as he lost a bit more of his power.

Takumi wiped the sweat off his forehead as he quickly used up another recovery spray. "At this rate, I don't know how long my supplies will be able to last!" He grit his teeth as he decided to have BlackWarGreymon and MetalGarurumon (Black) Jogress once more. "Maybe with their resistance we'll be able to put up a fight…?"

Lucemon Satan Mode stalled for a bit as he began charging up power. "Five…"

"Perfect," the Cyber Sleuth muttered as the beast began copying Beelzebumon's attack pattern. "This gives me enough time to reinforce their evolution and recover! ShineGreymon Burst Mode, hold your ground!"

"Four…" the Demon Lord's eyes glowed threateningly. "Three…" he spread his wings and prepared to take off. "Two…"

Takumi applied a speed booster to both his currently active Digimon.

"One…" Lucemon Satan Mode suddenly took off into the air and roared. "End Times!" With a demonic laugh, the crests hovering over him began to glow again. "Divine Atonement!"

"Double Torrent!"

"Glorious Burst!"

Both of Takumi's Digimon tried to counter the beams of light as their tamer emptied another spray bottle. He winced as the dragonic beast let out another ear-piercing screech out of frustration, but the boy refused to give in. "Just a little more," the Cyber Sleuth gasped.

The ultimate Demon Lord towered over the human and decided to unleash a wave of every attack it new against the persistent challenger. "Crazed Meteor Fall! Requiem Ocean Wave! Violated Rune Forest! Crucified Thunder Fall! Blackout Awesome Quake! Purging Gale Storm! Regression Shining Laser! Condemning Hell Crusher! Banishing Mach Rush!" ShineGreymon Burst Mode and Omegamon Zwart protectively shielded Takumi from it all and glared up at their opponent. When neither faltered, Lucemon Satan Mode began to drop down from the sky as he had used up all of his energy. "All power is lost…"

Takumi clenched his fists as he had his team use whatever remaining strength they had to finish the battle. "Xros Combo!"

"Garuru Cannon!" Omegamon Zwart fired off a short burst of energy from his right arm.

ShineGreymon Burst Mode fired incandescent flaming shots from his burning wings. "Torrid Weiss!"

Lucemon Satan Mode's body burst into a spread of data and Takumi quickly caught the Wings of Pride as they fell. He let out a relieved sigh as it was finally over. He took in a deep breath and gave himself a moment to take in his most recent accomplishment. "We actually did it…" he shakily laughed to himself. "Now Dianamon will be able to return to Sayo…"

* * *

Sayo stared at Takumi with wide eyes as the tired boy made his way back to the DigiLab. Mirei gave the Cyber Sleuth a proud smirk before greeting him. "All of the Seven have been crushed. This is truly incredible."

"You really were strong enough!" Sayo continued to wear an expression of disbelief. "I… I knew it! Thank you," she nodded to him. "Thank you! I-I should have had more faith in you."

"W-well…" the redhead sheepishly scratched his cheek. "Your advice did help… What really matters most though is that the Seven Great Demon Lords are defeated!"

Sayo nodded before turning towards the woman in charge of the lab. "Does this mean Dianamon can finally come home? Mirei-san, please…!"

"That is precisely what it means," the purple-haired woman smiled. "Leave all this in my hands."

"Alright then," Takumi nodded.

"Hmmm… Actually, Takumi…" Mirei frowned at the boy. "Did you obtain the Evidence of Sin from the last of the Seven?"

"Huh?" the boy blinked at her before quickly digging through his items. "Oh, yeah! I did! Here you are!" He handed over the seven Evidences of Sin to the woman and watched as her eyes gleamed in anticipation.

With a chuckle, Mirei fondly studied each relic. "Finally the new values can arise…" she muttered.

"W-what…?" the Cyber Sleuth worriedly studied her. "Do you have something planned, Mirei-san?"

"Oh, I must have said that out loud," Mirei mused as she flashed the boy a reassuring, but still rather unsettling, smile. "You wish to know of what I speak?"

"Um…." Takumi closed his eyes and brought his hand up to his chin. "Do I really want to know?" he asked himself.

"Well, you have a right to the knowledge," she pointed out as she pushed up her glasses. "It is my fate, but it seems you are well ensnared with me."

"Hm?" the boy blinked at her in confusion but Mirei soon focused her attention on Sayo.

"Wait here," Mirei directed her. "All will be prepared soon. And Dianamon will return to you, Sayo." The Night Claw Tamer nodded to her in understanding. "Soon. Very, very soon," she chuckled.

Sayo nervously inched closer to Takumi and lowered her voice. "Hey, um… Mirei is acting kind of strange, don't you think? I hope everything's all right."

"Yeah…" Takumi agreed.

"In any case," Sayo gratefully smiled at the Cyber Sleuth, "since you've won the battle, Dianamon will be returned."

* * *

~FANATIC~

"Good morning, Kyoko-san," Takumi greeted his boss as he came in for another day at work. "Did any new cases come in?"

The detective looked up from her computer and smirked at him. "A call just came in from Mirei," she stated, tossing him the phone receiver.

The boy fumbled with it before answering the call. "Hello, Mirei-san?"

"What are you feeling, Takumi?" the purple-haired woman asked.

"As in what emotion?" the Cyber Sleuth knit his eyebrows together. "Um… Confusion? Or maybe, calm patience? Um… why do you ask? What are you feeling right now, Mirei-san?"

"Me?" she blinked at him in surprise. "Excitement," she grinned. "My heart is beating so quickly. I haven't known this anxious feeling for a long time."

"Is that so…?" Takumi crookedly grinned.

"All things are in place," she nodded to him. "My plan and the return of Sayo's Dianamon. I've submitted a case. Please, accept it and then return to me."

After Takumi hung up, Kyoko smirked at her assistant. "You heard her," she told him as she handed him the case request note. "Get to it, Cyber Sleuth."

Takumi scanned the note carefully.

 _Client: Mikagura Mirei_

 _Place: Digilab_

 _Details: The Seven Great Demon Lords have fallen… This is the beginning of a new destiny. Everything is ready… Come and see me._

The boy slipped the paper into his pocket and nodded to his boss. "Just leave this to me, Kyoko-san! I'm off!"

"Have a safe trip," Kyoko chuckled as he left.

* * *

Mirei chuckled as Takumi finally arrived. "So sorry to keep you waiting, Takumi."

"Mirei-san," Sayo frowned at the woman, "the Seven Great Demon Lords are defeated! Let me set Dianamon free!"

"You have done well," Mirei nodded at both tamers. "Now, at least, it can begin," she smiled.

"M-mirei-san…?" Sayo took a few steps back and blinked at her. "What's going on? What are you talking about?"

"Come," Mirei continued to grin at them. "This is the time, but not the place. We cannot allow the new values, all that power, to scatter across this realm."

Takumi tensed up. "Don't tell me there _were_ consequences for me defeating the Demon Lords!?"

Mirei shook her head as she stood from her seat. "Follow…"

Takumi and Sayo shared an uncertain frown with each other before they followed the woman out of the room. Takumi looked around in surprise when they were in an empty forum room in EDEN.

The mysterious woman let out a satisfied chuckle. "This will work. I am sure of it," she nodded. "Though the power once bound, born in one form, has been scattered."

Sayo knit her eyebrows together. "Mirei-san, what do you mean? Power that was… born?"

"One moment more and all will be explained," she responded to the girl. "First, we must return your Dianamon from her purgatory." With a wave of her arm, a bright light enveloped the room.

Takumi flinched but when his vision cleared, he noticed a Digimon standing before Sayo. "Is that…?"

"Dianamon!" Sayo happily reunited with her partner. "You're finally back!"

"That's great…" Takumi smiled but he paused when he sensed something strange about the atmosphere.

"And now…" Mirei began, "now we may begin it."

"Eh!?" The Cyber Sleuth tensed up. "Mirei-san, what are you…?"

"Takumi, thank you," she respectfully nodded to him. "Thank you for everything. I finally have the 'Evidence of Sin', the wicked truths held by each of the Seven. You have done for me more than I could have imagined. And yet, by defeating those dark heralds, the Seven Great Demon Lords, you too have committed a sin. Just as Sayo once did."

"Urgh…" Takumi reached his hand up to his Digivice, worried about his Digimon.

"But rest calm," Mirei reassured him with an unsettling smirk. "I have no punishment for you."

"You… don't?"

She nodded. "Your sins, your punishment, they transcend time and space. They sunder the borders therein. And I grant you forgiveness."

"What do you mean?" the boy knit his eyebrows together in confusion.

"This is what I had hoped to see," Mirei grinned. "These… new values."

Sayo and Takumi tensed up. "What!?" the boy exclaimed as Sayo gasped in surprise. Takumi winced as the room began to shake. "Such power… What's going on, Mirei-san?"

"The ultimate Digimon shares its form with these new values," the woman merely stated. She held up the seven Evidences of Sin and chuckled as they combined to form the ultimate Digimon.

Takumi gulped at the large yellow stuffed bear standing behind Mirei. "A Monzaemon!?"

Sayo blinked at the Digimon too. "You mean…" she paused at the ridiculousness of it. "This is the form of the Ultimate Digimon?"

"Umm…" Takumi tilted his head to the side. "I think so?"

"Yes," Mirei nodded to them seriously. "Yes, it is. Do not be deceived by simple appearances, Sayo." She looked up at the Monzaemon. "Do you feel it? Limitless energy, limitless strength, breaking upon the world like the tide."

"Umm… Takumi…" Sayo turned towards the Cyber Sleuth.

Takumi placed his hands on his hips as he understood what she was thinking. "Yeah… I feel the same way. Should we really fight it?"

"I'll do it…" she shrugged.

"Really!?" he asked with wide blue eyes.

"Those Digimon must be defeated," she smiled at him. "It's the only way we can keep this world safe." She lowered his gaze and placed her hands over her heart. "I've left all of this up to you. I've relied on your power to see us through until now, but I have Dianamon again. I have strength of my own. Please, Takumi," she nodded up at the taller boy, "let me fight beside you."

Sensing her resolve, Takumi flashed her his usual smirk. "Alright, Sayo! Let's do this together!" The two faced Mirei's ultimate Digimon.

The purple-haired woman looked down at the two children with a smile on her face. "There is only one path forward…" she told them.

"Ready when you are!" Takumi clenched his fists.

Sayo crossed her arms as she prepared her partner for battle. "Let's go, Dianamon."

"Show me this power of yours…!" Mirei declared as Monzaemon suddenly launched itself past her to attack.

"Go for it, everyone!" Takumi called out to Kuzuhamon, RustTyranomon, and Valkyrimon to attack.

"Taizoukai Mandala!" the purple God Man Digimon spun her staff to create a purification barrier.

RustTyranomon roared as he charged up the massive electromagnetic cannon on his back. "Terror's Cluster!"

"Aurvandil's Arrow!" Valkyrimon fired an arrow from the crossbow she carried on her back.

Dianamon jumped into the air and spun her bladed staff. "Crescent Harken!" Monzaemon flinched as he stared at the illusion of the full moon before he began tearing himself apart.

"I'm sad!" he roared, draining the Digimon of their energy before swinging his paws around haphazardly.

Sayo and Takumi jumped back as they threw stamina patches at their Digimon. Takumi winced as RustTyranomon was lifted up off the ground and thrown across the battlefield. "I'm switching you out for SaberLeomon! Sayo, cover me!"

The Night Claw Tamer nodded as she called out to Dianamon. "Use Goodnight Moon!" The Goodnight Sisters on the Digimon's began to glow as Dianamon tried to lure Monzaemon to sleep.

"Laser Javelin!" Valkyrimon impaled the stuffed bear with a long spear and leapt back as the tip of her weapon exploded.

Monzaemon shook off his drowsiness and angrily roared. "I'm angry!" He stomped on the ground and released a shockwave that toppled his opponents to the ground.

Takumi quickly sent SaberLeomon forward when he finally finished loading. "Use Infinity Arrow!"

The yellow lion roared as he shot multiple needles at Monzaemon before running forward. "Nail Crusher!"

Monzaemon caught the lion's front paws and wrestled the Ultimate down before laughing. "I'm delighted!"

Sayo knit her eyebrows together when everyone's health was replenished. "He's just toying with us!" she frowned as Dianamon tried attacking again.

"Arrow of Artemis!" The blue and white God Man Digimon fired a glowing arrow of ice at the large Perfect Digimon but missed.

"I'm happy!" Monzaemon cheerily jumped, refreshing his opponents stamina. He jumped a few more times before spinning into the air. "Lovely Attack!"

Takumi winced as Kuzuhamon and Valkyrimon were knocked out by the devastating heart attack. "Everyone, hang in there! SaberLeomon, another barrage of Infinity Arrow!"

"Dianamon, cover him!" Sayo cried out.

"Goodnight Moon!"

Takumi fumbled through his bag for a full recovery spray and applied it. He smirked as SaberLeomon launched himself at the bear again. "Nail Crusher!"

"This is it!" the Cyber Sleuth exclaimed. "Xros Combo!"

"Taizoukai Mandala!"

"Infinity Arrow!"

"Aurvandil's Arrow!"

"Arrow of Artemis!"

Mirei stared at the two tamers in surprise as Monzaemon collapsed to the ground. "No…" she gasped. "My ultimate Digimon… shattered."

Slowly letting their victory sink in, Sayo turned towards the boy standing at her side. "Takumi, that was amazing! That was something more than common strength!"

"Right!?" Takumi laughed. "You were awesome too, Sayo!"

Mirei shook her head in disbelief. "This was supposed to be it… This Digimon was meant to bring new values to the world. To finally open their eyes…"

"Hm?" Takumi and Sayo turned to face Mirei in confusion.

"How?" the woman absently asked herself. "How could this have happened…!?" She took a deep breath and shook her head before she began chuckling in satisfaction.

"Mirei-san?" Takumi tilted his head to the side in concern.

"Once blind, now I see…" Mirei nodded to him. "It was my eyes that have been opened. You have such power within, Takumi," she stated. "You hold so much, standing as both the one that can forge destiny, and its unshaper."

"H-huh?" the boy blinked at her.

"I must keep careful watch over you," she smirked at the curious boy. "Yes, very careful indeed. For the Destiny that you choose, that you create, will be very interesting indeed."

"Is my power really that special?" Takumi nervously chuckled to himself. "First Suedou-san and now you, Mirei-san…" He brought a hand up to his mouth and thought it over for a moment. "But… I guess it's not so bad…"

Mirei chuckled at the boy's ever-changing fate. "The time has come. We must return," she nodded to both teens.

* * *

Sayo frowned to herself once they returned to the DigiLab. Mirei shook her head as there was nothing else for the visiting tamer in this world. "This is where destiny finds its end," she seriously stated. "And yet there is never a true ending, as there is never a true beginning. Destiny is destroyed and created eternally. Crashing like the tide."

"Yeah…" Takumi sighed.

"Cyber Sleuth…" Mirei looked up at the boy. "I must remain in this world a while longer. I very much wish to watch over this new destiny," she smirked. "This new fate that you shall forge."

"So this means you'll be helping me still, right?" Takumi grinned at her. "Thanks, Mirei-san," he nodded. "You were the one who taught me about destiny and fate in the first place. I'll definitely keep at it with my power to change the future."

Sayo crossed her arms and shook her head at the boy. "I think all this talk about destiny and futures may be just that… talk. None of it matters now," she said, looking up at Dianamon at her side. "My partner has returned. She's finally home." She paused though before looking over at the grinning Cyber Sleuth. "Although… maybe fate was in play," she shrugged. "I got to meet you after all."

"Eh?" Takumi blinked at her.

"Hey, Cyber Sleuth Takumi…" Sayo looked up at him. "I don't know if I said it, but…"

"Hm?" the boy tilted his head to the side.

"Thank you," she smiled as she lowered her gaze.

"Eh!?"

"Don't look so surprised!" she frowned. "It's just—you did so much for me. I owe you at least my thanks."

"It really was nothing though," Takumi said as he relaxed.

Sayo shook her head. "But, it's because of you that Dianamon is back home. Back with me," she smiled. "I am sorry for the things I said, for being so cruel. I was…" she frowned to herself. "I was scared." She looked into Takumi's blue eyes and saw in them his will to surpass any obstacle before him. "You are not weak, not nothing…" she told him. "You are a Tamer worthy of admiration. One day…" she chuckled. "One day I hope to challenge you. I want to see that power for myself."

Takumi stared back into her purple eyes and sensed her pride as a tamer too. The redhead nodded to her and flashed her a smile. "As a Cyber Sleuth, I look forward to it."

Mirei smiled at the two before checking the time. "Have you finished your goodbyes, Sayo?" The Night Claw Tamer nodded before turning to face her. "Then I shall return you to where you belong. Both of you," Mirei nodded at both the girl and Dianamon.

"Yes," Sayo nodded. "Thank you, Mirei-san."

Takumi sighed as he lowered his gaze. "So you really are leaving…"

"What's wrong?" Sayo wryly smiled. "Don't look so sad, please."

"I… can't help it though…" Takumi frowned. "I… don't really like goodbyes."

"It's alright!" Sayo reassured him. "This is not our last meeting. I know that," she stated. "Isn't that right, Mirei-san?"

Mirei nodded in agreement. "All things are within the wheel of fate…" With a satisfied smile, Sayo gave Takumi one last nod before Mirei sent her away. Takumi flinched from the bright flash of light and soon only he remained in the DigiLab with Mirei. "Except…" the glasses-wearing woman sighed, "No. No, that is not quite true."

Takumi seriously frowned at her and tilted his head to the side. "What do you mean?"

"If destiny will not lead you back to another, then you must change destiny," she told him. "You must make one of your own." She proudly smiled at destiny's favored child. "That power resides in you."

"In me…?" Takumi looked down at his body and brought his gloved fist to his heart.

Mirei smirked and pushed up her glasses as she never tired of analyzing the strange boy's existence. "It manifests in the gifts you have, all of them. Your Connect Jump, for one. It can shape destiny in ways unseen. The power to forge ahead into different futures. To travel to distant worlds long thought gone."

"E-eh…?" Takumi tensed up as the woman continued to grow even more excited.

"It seems I still have much to watch," Mirei nodded. "Though I can firmly say that this experiment was a great success. My research will continue." She chuckled to herself as Takumi sighed to himself.

* * *

Takumi double-checked all of his files before placing them in the case folder for Kyoko. "That should be it," he stated with a nod.

"At long last," Kyoko smirked at her assistant, "you've hit the end of the road with Mirei's cases. We should celebrate!"

"Oh! That sounds great!" the Cyber Sleuth jumped up. "What did you have in mind?"

"Why don't I show you a top secret coffee brew I've whipped up?" she crossed her arms.

"Perfect!" Takumi nodded.

Kyoko chuckled as she continued to proudly examine her dear assistant. "You truly have come a long way as a Cyber Sleuth," she noted. "Not only did you save two worlds from Eaters, but you managed to conquer both the Royal Knights and Seven Great Demon Lords. Your power to gather the infinite strands of fate and connect them to you… You have truly exceeded every expectation I ever had of you, my dear Watson."

The redhead shook his head as he brought his fist to his chest. "For the sake of everyone I'm connected to, I'll keep on reaching out to that truth only I can obtain. I'm the one and only Cyber Sleuth, after all!"

* * *

 **Final Notes:** And with that, I am done with this game. Until I feel like replaying it. Now that I think about it, this chapter really wasn't all that necessary, but eh... The part of me that's a completionist needs this here. Oh, fun fact, the person who does Mirei's voice does Elizabeth in the Japanese version of Persona 3. Speaking of Persona, I'm still working on Answer, but now that I've finished playing Golden, I think I know how I want to set that story up since the New Game Plus is actually well set up for this game, unlike in 3 and Portable where Hamuko and Minato keep their levels... Seriously... I maxed out Minato's level in FES so I kinda don't want to do a New Game Plus with him... I also never played a fresh game for Hamuko so yeah... Anyways, it's still going to be a while before I get to novelizing Golden though because I like chronology. This at least it gives the poll I set up in my profile some more time to run though since I'm still curious as to who's the favored person to pair with Yu Narukami. That should be it for now. Thanks for reading my novelization of Cyber Sleuth. And farewell until I finish FES.


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